Who and Me: And the psycho frootloop called the Master
by peaceloverhealer101
Summary: Come along on a journey with Alex Harper. An ordinary girl, just like you and I, but watch and explore as she grows with the Doctor that everyone knows and loves. Come along as she explores new planets and civilizations, and grows in love and friendship that can last even across space and time. Revised story of 'A Love Through Time'. DoctorxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Okay, so after the long wait - and thank you for those who did - this is now the new and improved A Love Through Time! A lot of things have changed, as you can see one of them is the Title :D I figured it was time for a change. Okay, so here's the deal: I'm going to keep the old story up as I continue to revise the new story (I always hated when people made the new story, but in the mean time I couldn't revist my favorite scenes in the old story because they deleted it). So, I won't do that :)**

**Another thing that I am doing, is the each season will be it's own story. Ex: Season three will be it's own complete story, so will season four, season five, and season six. Each of them will have a quirky title that I am proud enough to say I came up with by myself. :D **

**So, here is the first chapter, better be prepared because it is _long. _(See, and I took into account the votes, and I kept it one nice _long _chapter). It has not been looked over by a beta, so all mistakes are mine. Please enjoy, regardless.**

She had a boring life. Well… She shouldn't say that she had a boring life. It wasn't necessarily that it was _boring_; it was more like her life was normal. It was normal and predictable. To be fair, she didn't even mind that it was like that until she met the Doctor. You don't even realize that something is amiss; you don't even realize that you have a problem with something until it changes rather drastically.

Her life was rather predictable. Her life was something that she knew inside and out, although most of the time she just simply had a lot of free time to decide what to do. One of the things that always helped pass the time for her was watching televisions shows. She loved all sorts of shows, and had a habit of going between loving them with everything she possible could have to having totally apathy towards it.

Yeah, she knew that it was weird like that. It was the truth however. She would give everything she had to one show – completely go obsessed with it. She would go through all of the episodes within a couple of days – watching those episodes for _hours _on end. After a while, for no apparent reasons and sometimes because she's watched the episodes one too many times she'd end up losing interest and then moving onto another show.

She had recently become interested in an English show called _Doctor Who_. It was a _great _show. It was clever, and brilliant, and funny, and just _wonderful_. She was just starting to get into her obsession phase. Yeah sure, she had watched all of the episodes but she hadn't quite gotten it into the phase where she would remember ever detail of the show. Nope, she still had a ways to go before she would get to that phase. Great part was at least she knew the general idea of most of the episodes – granted there were a few episodes where she knew less than she generally did.

So, one day she decided she would just watch more _Doctor Who_. She was currently fixated on the show, and she was subconsciously determined to watch the show until she knew every single detail. She walked home from school, greeted her Nan with a kiss on the cheek, chucked her bag onto the dinner table, and then went downstairs into the basement.

Well, it was more like her girl cave, but same difference…

She turned on her PS3 and giggled as she plopped down onto the plush rocking chair. "Now, where was I again?" She asked to herself. She was trying to track back to the day before yesterday. Her brain hurt just trying to go back that far. It was hard for her to remember things, hell she couldn't remember most of her childhood. It's ridiculous because she hadn't even had a _horrible _childhood, nothing traumatic or horrible or abusive ever happen. She had had a wonderfully normal childhood.

She had to slowly go through each of the episodes' descriptions before she finally gave a small 'aha'! She had been within season six. She sighed a bit dramatically. She was waiting for the new season to come out, and it made her sad to think of how long she would have to wait. "Ugh," that was such a drag to think of. She was use to just moving onto the next season that it made her cringe to think she'd have to _wait_. Oh well… It was more than worth it.

"Now, shut up…" She muttered to no one as she gently watched herself. She threw herself into the adventures with the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond with a grin.

-x-

Oh, it was always so lovely to get a good night's rest. It hadn't been the first time that she had fallen asleep while watching a show downstairs and she knew it wouldn't be the last. She gave a nice big stretch as she breathed in deeply before sighing. Oh, she loved when that happened, a nice chorus of bones popping before she let her body relax.

Well, she knew it was time to get up and out of her little hermit whole. She needed to go and see if Nan had made some food for her. Her eyes popped open when she remembered her Nan mentioned that she had been thinking of ordering pizza – a personal favorite. It wasn't until she had already sat up that she realized she was _not _in her basement.

Her whole body froze and she looked around with wide eyes. What the hell? Where was she? She slowly turned her head, with some effort since her body still wanted to stay locked in position. She didn't recognize the bedroom that she was in at all. If it wasn't for the fact that she was panicking over being in a place that she _knew _she hadn't been in before, she would be in love with the room. It was a gorgeously deep purple themed room.

However, it wasn't until the moment that she moved in front of a mirror on the closet that she really had the heart attacked. Without any shame in admitting this, she just let out a full bellow of a scream. Her hands flew up to her face, and watched in horror as the woman in the mirror mimicked the motion. "What… But… _How_…" she couldn't even get out any proper sentences as her brain tried too hard to try to figure out what the hell was going on.

Her hair was as black as night with a deep blue sort of tint to it that seemed to just shine if the light hit it just right. Her eyes were as blue as ice. She was short, shorter than she usually was and she tried to work her limbs, maybe over thinking of how strange it felt to have short limbs. She whacked herself in the face and grunted before falling onto the floor in shock. "Gah!" With a great thud she landed, and after a moment of confusion was _very _glad that no one had been there to see her do that.

Wait a minute… "Nan!" She shot up onto her feet, and after almost taking another fall into what she believed was 'her' dresser she shot down her stairs and around into the living room. "Nan!" She called out again only to have no response. Her heart wrenched in her chest and she could feel a panic start to brew deep within her stomach. "_Nan_!"

She fell into the couch and tried to lower her breathing pattern. When it didn't help, she did what her therapist had once told her and put her head between her legs. She could feel the blood rush back up to her head and she didn't even realize that she had been close to fainting. She wished she didn't have such a violent reaction, but she had no idea what was going on and her Nan was gone. She didn't know where she was, why she was here, and _why the hell she looked like this_.

After a few very long minutes, she slowly lifted up her head and was happy to see that her vision stayed stationary. She looked back into her hands that were so very foreign to her and not her own and she could feel a vague sense of panic begin to rise up within her. She shoved it violently back and got up. She needed to get up and out of this weird apartment-house-thing. Maybe if she could figure out where exactly she was then maybe she could get back home.

She threw herself back up the stairs and fell onto on the middle step. She almost went back down to the ground, but just managed to grab the railing to gain her footing. Once she got it back she went up into her room and paused for a long moment. She didn't even know this room, and it felt so weird and almost… _invasive_. She was going through someone else's clothes and room and _life_. However, if it meant that she could get back home then she would have to do it.

She walked over to the closet and opened the door and paused for a completely different reason. "Oh wow…" She said as she looked over the _gorgeous _clothing that was within this closet. Seriously, this was some of the best clothing she's ever seen. Seriously, if it wasn't for the fact that this was completely _wrong _– in pretty much every sense of the word. Then she would just be utterly in love with everything within this apartment.

She looked through all of the shirts and found one near the back that made her laugh. She pulled it out and she liked it since it wasn't just the fact it made her laugh, but the fact that it wasn't made in a fabric that made her feel cheep. _Earth Without Art is just "Eh"_. She couldn't help but giggle. Seriously, what did this poor girl do for a living? As she walked down the hallway to the front door she saw a wallet on the table and opened it up, curious to see the life of the woman she had stolen.

Okay, let's see… Her name is Alexandria Harper, eighteen years old, she was born in America – well, at least she could bond over that. She had some debit cards in the wallet, which would be great if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't know any of the pin numbers. She went back into the hall and went through the opposite door from the living room and found it to be the living room. She looked around at all the little knickknacks and couldn't help but giggle at most of them. They were funky and totally personal, she could see it. Things that were so close to a person that could tell a million different things about a person.

As she walked around the kitchen she could see that if it wasn't for the fact she had – technically – stolen the woman's life they would be _best _friends. They were just so _similar_. It was definitely the life that she sometimes dreamed of having. She paused when she got to the fridge and looked over all the small little sticky notes. Some of them were simple 'remember to pay the bills!' others gave as much detail of Alex's life as the knick knacks, 'remember to send your transcript to your editor'.

So, this Alex was a writer. That's way more than cool. She wanted to be a writer someday too, if she was honest. Some days she didn't think she had enough skills, and others she seemed to meet the right people. She was about to turn away when a couple of numbers caught her attention. 'PIN numbers: 1823, 2567'. She grabbed the little piece of paper with a noise of triumph. Okay, so now she had money which was always a good thing to have.

"I promise oh dear Alex I will not abuse this money, and if I can in some way, I will pay you back." She said as she pressed her hands together and looked up to the ceiling as if she was praying. "Okay, now let's try and figure out what's going on…" She opened the door only to pause. "Right, _key_…" She looked back at that little table and saw some keys in a cute little blue bowl. "Oh yeah, there we go." Thankfully there weren't too many keys on the chain so it didn't take her long to lock the door.

Hey, she wasn't going to be rude. She wasn't going to be inconsiderate and leave the door open so that someone could rob Alex's apartment. Seriously, her parents raised her better. Alright now that she has everything sorted, or at least that she's aware of. She had grabbed a great leather jacket from the closet as well. She slipped it on and walked down the stairs of the complex.

It wasn't until she was a couple of blocks away from the apartment that she finally realized where she was. She had been walking along and happen to look over to her far right and saw… _Big Ben_.

Her first initial thought was – _Oh look, Big Ben take a picture_! An inside joke, an instant reaction in response to what seemed like the _hundreds _of pictures of that damn clock that her mother had taken. The rest of the family just got so _sick _of it. It wasn't until she had stared at that clock with a minor – _minor _– look of disgust that she realized what it was that she was looking at… _in person_.

She looked around in bewilderment when she realized where she was. "I'm in London." She muttered to herself with horror. "I'm in _London_." It wasn't that she had anything against the city. No, nothing at all, she adored London. She had been there before with family and just fell in love with it. She loved the fact that it was over brewing with history. She loved how nice the English actually were compared to what you thought they were with stereotypes and all that judgmental crap.

She had to take a seat on a nearby bench in order to try and wrap her head around this. She was in London, in a completely different body with absolutely no memory or concept of how it was that she got into this situation. She leaned back and ran a hand through her hair. Hair that wasn't her own with hands that weren't her own, she thought with some despair.

It was just making her head spin. She heard people talking all around her and she just wasn't sure what to do. Was she to try and explain this to someone? No, that would be stupid, no one would ever believe her story – hell _she _doesn't believe this story and she's the one that's living it. "Alex!"

Her heart jumped out of her chest and she almost gave herself whiplash as her head whirled around to see who had touched her arm. "Huh! Wha… What?"

"Alex, there you are. I was looking around your apartment and you weren't there." Her eyes were telling her who was in front of her but she just refused to believe it. No, see that was just _way _too much for her to handle. She refused – _refused _– to believe that _Martha Jones _was standing in front of her, talking as if they had been friends for years. "Come on, we need to get to work." She wasn't sure if it was the fact that Martha was oblivious to her inner turmoil, she was better at hiding it than she thought, or all those acting tips her dad gave her really paid off.

Either way, Martha just tugged on her arm and they started walking. She almost tripped over her own two feet, but she caught herself just in time. This wasn't _possible_, okay, it just… _wasn't_. Sure, she had read fanfiction like this before about how girl from alternate universe who is a big fan of the show gets sucked into that show, but _come on_. It's in fanfiction for a reason. This is just ridiculous, it doesn't happen in real life…

Martha chatted with her amicably as they walked down the streets and she tried to keep up with the cheerfulness. In normal circumstances she would have done it with ease – and honestly be surprised at how she did it later – but with so much crazy going on right now all in no more than an hour she just couldn't do simple. Thankfully, Martha's phone rang and it gave her a chance to try and breathe.

Shit, she was starting to feel faint again. She couldn't keep doing this – she had been doing _really well _too! She put a hand to her pounding forehead and put on a smile when Martha sent a look her way. She knew Martha wouldn't believe her and she _certainly _knew that she wouldn't understand. She tried to keep wrap her mind around it, tried to think about what caused all of this. Maybe, if this was _Doctor Who_, there was some reason that made sense to her. She knew that sounded stupid, but she followed the show and could understand most of what they talked about.

She ran right into a thin chest and almost fell back on her ass if it wasn't for two long arm keeping her steady. "Ah, oh…" She was thrown back into this weird world that was supposed to be reality but couldn't be. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't even paying attention!" Her tone was pure apology, and it was nice to know that her manners had followed her through the time-vortex-warp-hole-thing…

She looked up into eyes that seemed to be made of melted chocolate. Oh. Oh _no_. He made sure she was standing before he winked at her. _Doctor_? The word was on the tip of her tongue, but oh so thankfully he interrupted me. "Like so!" He then just simply pulled off his tie without untying it first. "See?" He held it up as if he had pulled it out of thin air. He then patted her on the shoulder and walked away.

She looked between the Doctor and Martha and oh dear _God _her head was _hurting_. "Who… was that?" She asked slowly.

"I have no idea." Martha muttered as the two of them started walking. "That was just weird."

It was easier to play along when her brain was too over occupied with everything else that she thought too much about her part. "What had he been smokin'?" She felt a slight sense of pride when Martha giggled. They kept walking and when they finally got to the hospital she felt a different kind of dread fill her. Oh _man_, she didn't know the first _thing _about being a doctor. She didn't like that thought if it meant putting people's lives at risk…

Martha laughed at her. She turned to look, confused at the sound. Was there something she was missing? "Where are you going? You need to go change in your uniform down there." The black woman pointed to a different hall and she nodded her head slowly. Okay, right, "remember, all the apprentice nurses have to gather around the lab down there."

It took a moment, but she nodded her head as if she suddenly remembered what it was that Martha was talking about. "Oh… um, yeah, right."

She was so thankful that Martha seemed to buy it because she thought that performance had been garbage. "I swear you would forget your own head if it wasn't screwed on." Oh, she pouted, now that's just mean… It felt weird that that playful gesture could be so compatible with her personality. Seriously, how similar is this Alex to her? It's starting to become _creepy_…

"Ha ha…" Her voice was just dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. "You are such a comedian, dear Martha." She spun around on her heels and her first thought was that she was so glad that move had worked. She had done that many other times with hilarity as the result. She walked away with her head held high. Her luck was apparently running high today considering that she only tripped and fell onto her face when she turned around the corner. Martha hadn't seen it, which was _great_.

She wasn't sure if she should thank every deity she could think of that her luck was so high or start to worry about if it was going to end at any time soon. She picked herself up and then brushed off the slight dust before going into the dressing room. There were only about five or six others in there, and she felt awkward when a couple of them came up to talk to her. They knew her and she was able to figure out subtly that Alex had been doing this for a while. Oh that's just great.

At least it didn't seem that they noticed the fact _she was a completely different person_.

She knew it was hindsight, but come _on _it should be obvious that she was completely different. She really didn't want to think about how close her personality would be to Alex's if no one could tell. She chatted with the rest of the not-quite-nurses as they all gathered around. The head nurse came around and started to talk. She tuned her out, honestly, not quite sure why she was here. If Alex was a writer, then why was she here training as a nurse?

She tried to think of why she would do it, and figured that maybe Alex needed some research on a character that was training to be a nurse – or maybe _was _a nurse. That did make sense, now that she thought about it, and it was also admirable that Alex would take the time out of her day to do this kind of research for her work. She tried to pay attention, but it was a bit boring. The teacher had that perfect mixture of telling way too many stories in between teaching them and a dull soft spoken voice. Good grief it just putting her to sleep.

They were told to use their teachings now in a practical hands-on experience. That was nice, she thought, as she walked over to a couple of beds. She wasn't even paying attention to where she was walking. She picked up the doctor's chart at the end of the first bed she went to and then looked up at the patient.

Her heart stopped.

"Hello!" His voice was as cheerful as the bright sunny grin that covered his face. She felt a little blinded by the shine of it.

"Um… Hello…" She returned in greeting. Her head hurt way too much and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, she didn't even realize she was talking before she opened her eyes. "My name is Alex Harper, and I'm going to take a look at you before the doctor comes around." She came up to his side and then looked back at the chart to figure out what lie he had given to get in. "So, you've been experience some serious abdominal pains?" She couldn't help but look up at him with a slight raised eyebrow.

"Yes, ma'am." He said with a definite nod. Honestly, it was pretty stupid now that she thought about this. He was a doctor himself, he knew about science and she was pretty sure he knew his way around medicine as well. He couldn't come up with something more… concrete? Something as flimsy as 'serious stomach pains' just didn't seem to hold any dice, but maybe that was just her.

She did as regular a checkup as she could. When she was taking his blood pressure, she got some _weird _readings that she didn't understand until she remembered that she was dealing with an alien that had _two _hearts. Right, yeah, that changes things. She remembered this slight detail when she had to take his pulse as well. When she took that into account, she was glad that as far as she could tell, he was healthy.

Can't have the one thing that was protective this world from danger ill, can we?

She couldn't help but chat with him as she did her little check up. "So, interesting story… I was walking with my friend Martha on the way here, and we run into this guy who I swear looks _exactly _like you…" She put on her best poker face as she spoke this.

"You did?" The Doctor was so genuinely surprised that she had to smile.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, the appearance was… _uncanny_." She waved her hand, making a gesture that there was indeed no equal to how much they same they had looked. "Of course, I'm no fool. I'm sure you meandering about on the streets won't help your pains, sir." It was kind of funny how much joy she was taking in playing this out.

"It wasn't me." The Doctor insisted with a firm shake of his head. "I was here, in this bed, ask the other nurses."

She locked eyes with him and narrowed her own. She wasn't sure how the Doctor would feel about these brand new eyes that she has. All she could say for herself was that she's been startled by how sharp they are when she's happen to look in the mirror. Her eyes weren't just the color of ice, but as _sharp _as them. "Swear?"

She saw his lips twitch _just _the slightest bit, and she held back her own grin. "I swear to you. It wasn't me."

"Well then," she turned her head away and almost flinched when she happen to see her reflection. Good Lord, she could practically see her reflection with her eyes – they were just so _clear_. It was really weird. Well, she didn't want to be rude. Alex was probably more than use to it, and that was fine because she had grown up with it. She couldn't say the same though. Her true eyes were a much duller blue that it just kept feeling like a punch in the face every time she saw her new eyes. "How about a brother? Oh!" She turned back to him with a finger out and pointing at him. "Twin?"

This time the smile came to his lips with full force. "Nope. Just me."

"Damn." She sighed with some mock. "If that had been the case I would have been so proud of my deductive skills. Clearly I am no Sherlock Holmes." Ah yes, there was another well done English show. Of course it was made by the same people, so of course she would like it. She took great pride in the Doctor's slight chuckle, before looking away when she heard her name being called.

"Ms. Harper," A flush just barely came to her cheeks when she realized that she had taken too long and the lead doctor was clearly not happy about this.

"Sorry." She said and instantly stepped away from the Doctor. She turned to him and tried to hold an air of professionalism. "I hope you feel better, Mr. Smith." She walked away but froze when she heard a throat being cleared.

"You still have the chart, Ms. Harper." Oh, that did it. A flush covered her whole face and about all of her neck judging by the heat that she could feel radiating off of it. She turned around very slowly and then tried to quickly give the chart over to him before trying to make it quickly way from all of the giggling faces as possible.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" She muttered under her breath. Well, clearly _her_ luck as run out. That's just _lovely_.

-x-

She didn't get to see Martha until it was lunchtime. She did like Martha, and she liked the fact – as weirdly as this may sound – for something familiar in a world that had quickly turned her whole damn life upside down. She knew Martha Jones. She knew _of _Martha Jones. She was something familiar and it was something that she desperately needed right now. "Hey Martha," she greeted with a smile. She could feel a slight flush meet her cheeks that was left over from her earlier embarrassment.

"Hey Alex," Alex couldn't stop the sudden and out of place blink when Martha called her that. Alex was not her name. It was the name of the poor woman whose life she had unintentionally stolen. However, she would keep her mouth shut for reasons. They started talking as they got their food ready, and Martha complained to her about her family issues. At one point, she made a friendly poke at how messed up it was. Martha laughed and rolled her eyes, clearly agreeing with her.

Even if it was only for a few hours, she fell back into a slightly normal life. It was ordinary, with her eating normal food with a friend and chatting pleasantly. When Martha answered the phone to speak to her sister, she figured it was best to leave and get back to work. At least then she could preoccupy herself instead of letting her brain explode trying to figure this out. She turned her head when she saw some movement, and saw the Doctor walk down the hall. "Hey!" She called out to him. He turned to look at her with surprise. "You shouldn't be here, Mr. Smith." It took a lot to remember that she had to call him that. "You should be in your bed."

As she walked up to him, she saw that he opened his mouth. He was clearly thinking of an excuse in that quick-minded brain of his. "Ah yes, well... I was just... looking for the..." He looked around and snapped his fingers, pointing to the toilet a few feet away. "The _bathroom_!"

This time she couldn't even hold herself back from raising her eyebrow. That was such a pathetic excuse. "Yes, right, of course, even though there was a _bathroom_," she mocked his tone, "much closer to your bed, Mr. Smith."

"Oh." He clearly had to think about that. "Well, silly me! So oblivious!" Well, there's something she couldn't argue with.

"Let's get you back to where you belong." She moved around him to stand at his side, and gently wrapped her arms around his so she could guide him back to the male's hospital ward.

"Right, yes, thank you..." He nodded his head and she couldn't help but smile.

"So... You didn't realize at all about the bathroom right next to your ward?" He looked over at her, and they both knew that she was knew better than that.

"Yeah..." Even so, he still tried it out on her. She peeked a look at a passing mirror and almost cringed. She reached up and pressed a hand to her hair. It was just so abnormal seeing herself like this – seeing herself in a different body. You get so use to being in the body you grew up with, you know? It's in a way though that you just don't even realize until something like this happens. Of course, now that she thought about it, it was just silly to think about because things like this _never _happen. Oh, why was _she _the one to get sucked into this? It's just unfair.

"You okay?" She snapped out of it and her head whirled back around to the Doctor. He had an eyebrow raised – and she got to see what it's like to be on the end of such a move... Well, she's not going to be doing that anymore...

"Huh?" She cleared her throat and then smile softly at him. "Yeah, I'm fine." She threw out the first excuse she could come up with. "I just bumped my head getting ready this morning, just hoping it wasn't anything bad." Well, at least that was _half _true. She could deal with that. He nodded his head, and she was thankful he seemed to have swallowed the lie. Just to make sure, she changed the subject. "How's the stomach pains, Mr. Smith?"

"Stomach..." For a moment, he clearly forgot how he got into the hospital. Thankfully, with his super duper Time Lord brain, he was quick to save his slip. "Oh! Yes, it's terrible." He may have over sold it as he pressed a hand to his stomach and made a face – the face was a little fake, she had to admit, or maybe this is all just hindsight. "Doctors couldn't figure out what it was though."

_Maybe because it doesn't exist_. "Well, that's a shame." She pinched the skin on her hand when she could hear the slight droll of sarcasm. "But don't worry, we'll find out what's wrong." He gave her a gentle smile and she just _had _to return it. They got to the male ward, and she patted his elbow. "I trust that you know where your bed is, Mr. Smith?" This time, she didn't hide her teasing.

He chuckled, "I do indeed, Miss Harper. Thank you." She couldn't help herself as she reached up and patted his cheek affectionately. She jerked her hand back slightly, before lowering it slower – not as noticeable. He seemed uncomfortable with the sudden show and she tried to cover it up.

"If you need anything, just press your help button and someone will come as quickly as they can." She smile again. "I hope you feel better, Mr. Smith." She turned and walked away, trying to walk at a pace that was both getting her away from the Time Lord but not too quickly that she would draw attention.

She wasn't sure why she had patted his cheek, but it was just something about him. Part of her wanted to grab a hold of him and hug him as tightly as she could. She wanted to tell him everything was going to be alright. She knew it was stupid, considering the Doctor didn't need anyone to hold him close – he was a big boy, he could take care of himself. It was probably just her personality, she assured herself. She had always been a caring and affectionate person.

She kept rubbing the palm of her hand though, as she walked back down the hall. She needed to get back to –

"_Gah_!"

She was thrown to her right and landed roughly on the floor as the whole hospital just shook as if in a huge earthquake. From where she had been standing, there wasn't much she could hold onto, and she just got thrown back and forth without much pattern. She hit her head more than once on the walls and by the time it finally calmed she had dots dancing merrily along her vision. She lifted her head slowly and hissed at the dull throb that was taking up residence in her skull.

She got up to her knees and waited. She wasn't going to try and get up if the tremors hadn't stop and it meant she would just be thrown back down on the floor like a rag doll. When she decided that it was safe enough, she finally lifted herself up off the floor and onto her feet. "Good grief..." She muttered to herself as she rubbed her head. She saw chairs and papers all over the floor from the rooms surrounding her.

She looked up startled when a wide spread chorus of despair and fright echoed into her ears. She winced at the noise and looked around, confused as to what was causing everyone to call out with such a noise. She walked into one of the rooms next to her, and her heart stopped. She didn't even need to go into the room in order to see what was outside of the windows.

It was just stars and barren land, and the Earth... suspended in space.

They were on the moon.

She threw herself back and then took off down the hall. They were on the moon. It kept repeating itself in her head as she tried to locate Martha in all of the chaos that had erupted within the hospital. When she finally caught sight of a young black woman in a white lab coat, she called out. "Martha!"

Even with all the noise around them, Martha still heard her and both her and another doctor in training stopped. "Alex!" She finally caught up to them and had to pause to catch her breath. "We're on the moon." Martha pointed out, as if somehow in all of this she had been under a rock.

"We're on the moon." She confirmed with a nod of her head. They weren't dreaming this, not unless _both _of them were dreaming the exact same scenario. "We..." She paused and slow down her speech, trying to test it out on her lips. "_We_ are _on _the _moon_." Even then, it still didn't sound right.

Martha laughed breathlessly before she took off down a different hallway. Both women followed after her. She could only vaguely remember the episode that she was in, and it really was quite annoying if she thought about it. It would be _great _to remember... too bad she didn't. Martha took a detour into an empty room and she followed her. "Martha?"

"We're on the moon, Alex. I can't believe it." She couldn't help but smile as she walked over to her friend and looked out the window.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either..." What a magnificent sight it was, she thought. She had a faint want to take a picture, but she shook her head. There were more important things to deal with right now. "Martha, we need to go... I don't know, figure things out. Try and figure out what's going on. We need to help these people."

Martha nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go." Both women took off out of the office and down the hall. A much elderly woman was just standing within the chaos with a peaceful look on her face. Ah, elderly bliss.

"Have you seen –?"

"I'm sorry, I can't..." Martha said took quickly as she rushed past. Well, that's rude.

"I'm sorry, maybe I can help you?" She offered with a smile.

The woman smiled kindly at her. "I was wondering where Mr. Stoker's office is."

"Oh, um..." She looked back up, trying to think. Mr. Stoker, if she remembered correctly that was the main doctor what was teaching Martha and the others. "I _believe_ he's on the lower level. If you go down the stairs, down the hall, take a left down another hall, and then on your left should be his office."

"Thank you." The woman said graciously as she took those directions. Well, it's a good thing she could help with a small thing.

"– Alex!" She looked up in reflex even if it wasn't her name. She realized that she was starting to become use to being called by that name, and it was starting to become reflexive to response to that name.

"Um, yeah, sorry... trying to help a patient out..." She quickly caught up with her friend and they went into the male ward. Right, okay, chaos... She could fix this. She pulled out her gentle and soothing voice that she generally used for the children that she babysat for. "Okay, it's alright. I'm sorry, I know this is confusing, but we're going to sort it out. I ask that everyone get back into their beds, and stay calm, the doctors and nurses are figuring it out as we speak."

"It's real." She heard Martha say as she came back to her side. "It's really real." She swallowed back a comment about adding another couple of 'really's. She moved to open the window, confused by something, but a hand grabbed hers.

"Don't!" Julia – _oh right, that was her name, Martha mentioned it back when we were having lunch _– begged. "We'll lose all the air." She turned and put her hands gently on Julia's shoulders, trying to calm her down as she looked into her eyes.

"Julia, it's okay. Alright, we're figuring this out. And there's something that doesn't add up. Our windows are not made to be air-tight, I mean, come on who gives a hospital that. _So_..." She held out the 'o', hoping Julia would understand where she was coming from.

Unfortunately, the woman did not. Good part is, Martha did. "If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?" She smiled over at Martha, proud of her for being on the same thought as her.

"Very good point!" She turned around startled just in time to see the Doctor pull back the curtain. Oh, she tried not to ogle at him in that nicely cut – and _fine fitting _– blue suit. It goes well with his hair, she realized with a mental grin. "Brilliant in fact. What was your names?"

"I'm Martha and this is Alex." Yes, great she's even being introduced as Alex. She really wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"And it was... Jones and Harper wasn't it." Oh, even better, she was getting the same last name too. She saw Martha nod her head, and she tried not to sigh. "Well then, Martha Jones and Alex Harper, question is how are we still breathing?"

She would have shot her hand up, but then realized that would be _stupid_ considering it was rhetorical. Or, at least, she believed it was rhetorical considering that he just zoomed by them and jumped up onto a chair so that he could look outside through the windows. "We can't be," Julia sobbed. The poor woman looked about ready to break apart, so she went over to the woman and put her hands onto her shoulders, trying to ease her panic.

"It's okay, Julia." She repeated, hoping that the woman would take her word. "We're going to figure this out. We're going to get back to Earth, somehow. I _promise _you." With her back turned, she hadn't caught the look that the Doctor shot towards her back.

"Well, we are breathing since we're not dead, so don't waste my time." Oh no he didn't.

She whirled around. "_Doctor_!" He looked startled at her tone of voice. "That is _no way _to talk to someone. You say sorry to poor Julia. She's in tears, you don't talk to someone like that when they're in tears."

"But –"

"Ah!" She held up a hand and walked over to him, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "I don't want to hear it, mister. That is _rude_, and I will not have rude behavior around me. She's close to _crying_, Doctor. Now, _apologize_." She looked at him earnest, making it clear through her face that she wasn't going to let it go. He took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders. He gave a quick apology to Julia before looking back at her, with a childish look of 'there? Happy?' She smiled to show she was happy – she knew that that was the best she would be able to get out of him.

"Now, Alex," He jumped down so he was in front of her. She tried not to back away from his proximity, pretty sure that his alien brain didn't _quite _understand the importance of personal space to humans. "Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or…?"

She just continued to stare at him. "No idea." She confessed.

He blinked, clearly thrown by the answer. "But don't you work here?"

"_Yessss_…" She wanted to say _no, hell no what the hell are you talking about, I'm someone completely different and I'm not Alex and this isn't my life_. However, she knew that would be completely inappropriate to point out now of all times, so she went with a different answer, figuring that she could possibly be right – considering how eerily similar Alex and she is. "I can't remember what I had for _breakfast_, what makes you think I can remember what's on this floor?"

"You showed me where I had been staying."

"That's because you're _pretty_." She blinked a few times, mimicking him. "I don't know why I just said that. _Martha_, help me out," _before I make a fool of myself again_.

That little traitor had a twinkle in her eyes, and she _knew _it meant that she was laughing at not-Alex on the inside. "There's a balcony by the patient's lounge." Well, traitor or not at least she _did _help out.

"Fancy going out?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"We might die." The Doctor pointed out. Oh, right yeah. She forgot about the whole _no breathing in outer space_ problem. Except…

Martha voiced her exact thoughts. "We might not."

"We're breathing right here." The should-not-be-brunette pointed out as she gestured to the windows. "It's like we said before, these are air-tight…" When she looked back at the alien, he seemed almost impressed. She would take that look _any day_, she decided as she got a good view of it.

"Good!" He commented, and oh that just gave her a fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach and she – kind of, maybe, sort of – enjoyed it _just _a bit too much. "C'mon." He was quick to start moving, with those damn long legs that really should be illegal for him to regenerate into. "Not her, she'd just hold us up." He pointed carelessly to poor Julia and while Alex may have had a hard time keeping up with him – with that comment – she was certainly going to try.

"Doctor!" She wished he had a full name, just this once. It would have been much better to use in this instance. "_What _did I say about being rude?"

-x-

The Doctor and her bickered just a tad bit on their way there. It turned out that the Doctor wasn't willing to just roll over and apologize for everything she told him to. She felt that was a little rude – which was pretty much the whole problem she was having with him – and that caused them to bicker. Apparently, at least to Martha, it was pretty hilarious and she caught the woman snickering into her hand more than once.

The Doctor finally apologize – just as roughly as he did before – when he saw that she wasn't going to let it go. It was a good thing he did, considering the moment after he said 'sorry' they were at the doors to the balcony. That sobered them all quickly. Alex ran her palms across her standard dress pants. She couldn't help but feel nervous, slightly curious as to what it would even be like to suffocate out there.

She couldn't hold back her wince at that morbid thought. She felt something warm brush up against her fingers, and turned to see that the Doctor was looking at her. She understood the look in his eyes, _it's okay_, they told her, _we're going to be fine_. She had to remember what she had pointed out before – the windows and doors for that matter are not sealed shut. If they're breathing fine now, then even if they were to open the doors to step out they had to be fine out there too.

Of course, there was only one way they were going to find out for sure. The Doctor and Martha both put their hands onto the handle of the door and pushed.

They pause for just the briefest of moments, when they didn't feel or hear any signs of the air being sucked out into the cold space around them they all breathed. Okay, she looked around mentally nodding, she had been right. They were fine. They stepped out onto the balcony and over towards the edge where they could look over and get a better view.

"We've got air!" Martha breathed. Both of the women were taking deep breathes, as if they couldn't quite believe it. It was hard to believe, she did have to admit. She remembered in school, about how everyone always talked about how space had no oxygen – nothing really. It was dead and empty out there. It was beautiful sure, but in the same way as a siren is beautiful. It's beautiful until you get too close, and then it becomes deadly. "How does that work?"

That was a good question, and the not-Alex turned to the only man that she knew would have an explanation. "Just be glad that it does."

Oh… Well then. She shrugged and turned back to the Earth, suspended in the darkness of their universe. She crossed her arms onto the ledge, and just traced the Earth's shape with her eyes. It was almost surreal, watching the Earth turn on its invisible axis, half of it only visible to their eyes. It was beautiful and stunning and magical. Standing there in front of it, watching at her beautiful world turn she almost couldn't believe how it worked.

"I've got a party tonight." She blinked a few times, to bring herself back to the hospital, to Martha and the Doctor. "It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really… really…" Her voice trailed off and the American could hear the warning bells chimming in her head. Such was the life of an empathetic person like herself.

"You okay?" She asked as she turned her full attention to Martha. Forget the stars and space and the Earth, her friend was suffering and that was unacceptable. "Do you want to go back inside or something? It's okay, you know…"

"No no," Martha laughed. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" It really was okay in her mind if Martha was afraid. There was nothing wrong with that. She knew that this sight before them could be scare – _would _be – scare to most people. It was okay if Martha felt the same way. "You don't want to go back inside or anything?"

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same – it's beautiful." Martha spoke it in a way with such reverence that it caused her to turn back towards the Earth. She sighed almost blissful smile. Yes, Martha couldn't have said it any better, it was beautiful.

"You think?" The Doctor leaned down onto the balcony next to her.

"We're on the Moon." She tried not to giggle at that thought, but that one sentence made her almost gleeful. "I mean, only a handful of people have ever stood here. Have ever looked out into this beautiful wide universe and have seen _that_." She pointed towards the Earth. "And yet, here we are, privileged with that sight before our very own eyes."

"Standing in the Earthlight…" The Doctor muttered. The American nodded her head, keeping her eyes towards the Earth. She felt a little blinded by it, and had to take a deep breath when she felt a powerful emotion overtake her. That was _her _planet, her home.

"What do you think happened?" Martha asked.

The Doctor seemed to come back to them, and turned to see that both of them were looking at him. He redirected the question back at them. "What do you think?"

"Extraterrestrial." Martha replied. She had to chant in her head about how inappropriate it would be to _laugh _when she said that. It was hard, though, like _really _hard. No one can talk extraterrestrial like the _alien _standing next to her. "It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad." She wasn't so sure about that, there were always going to be people out there that – no matter what the event may be – would call out UFOs and that aliens had done it. "But these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben – Christmas – those Cybermen things." Martha paused. "I had a cousin, Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry." She turned back towards the Earth, thinking hard. Hadn't the Doctor met Adeola? She remembered that Canary Wharf had actually been the Torchwood Institute before it was destroyed. Wait… Wait… It was slowly coming to her. Yes, Adeola had been working for Torchwood, and she had been one of the first to be turned into a Cyberman. The Doctor had to stop her before she opened up the portal to that alternate dimension. Well, that would explain his tone of voice.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way." Martha was so sure of herself, so brave that she felt so proud of her friend.

She turned to see that the Doctor was looking around. She leaned closer to him, and followed his eyes. "What'cha looking for?" She asked curiously. He turned back to her, and they were much closer this time. He just stared at her for a long moment and she couldn't help but add. "I know."

"Know what?" He asked.

"My eyes. They're just such a _sharp _color. It's kind of alarming." The Doctor's lips twitched, clearly amused as to her thought process.

"That's not it."

"Oh." She thought about it before wondering aloud, "Were you doing that thing that people do where they're not really looking at someone 'cause they're thinking?" The Doctor didn't answer – might have believed that she would think that rude – but she knew it was correct. She didn't really find _that _rude, considering that him thinking meant that they would get back to Earth sooner.

"It's not Smith, that's not my real name." The Doctor finally responded to Martha as he walked over to the left side of the balcony to look over.

"Who are you, then?" Martha asked.

His name was on the tip of her tongue, but then she realized she shouldn't say it. They were busy with other things, and it really wasn't the appropriate time to explain. Now that she's thinking about it, she wasn't really sure _when _exactly that would be a good time to explain. "I'm the Doctor." _So high and mighty when he says it_, Alex mentally giggled. He had to look them right in the eyes when he said it. He had to show everyone that the Doctor was here – smartest person ever to be in the room.

"What kind of name is the Doctor?" She asked, just going along with it, having fun. "I mean… what is it then, Doctor Smith or something?"

"Just the Doctor…" She caught the look at he sent her way, and it caused her to raise an eyebrow. She couldn't quite interpret it though. She wasn't sure why he had been looking at her that way. He was acting as if she was some big puzzle that he was solving.

"How to you mean, just the Doctor?"

"Just…" Clearly, the Doctor didn't have a better explanation for it. "The Doctor."

"So, what, people just call you that? _The Doctor_?" She mocked his title a bit, because even if she did know that was his name. Even if she did call him that just like any other good Whovian, it _was _still funny by human standard for names.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm not." Martha replied, turning away to face out into the distance. "As far as I'm concerned, you have to earn that title." Yeah, you go Martha, she thought. Don't just take his name and go along with it. Have him _earn _the title, oh how she loved Martha.

"Well, I'd better make a start, then." He picked up a piece of stone that must have fallen off from the building. "Let's have a look." He threw it out into space, only to have it deflected. She watched, fascinated, as it made a ripple effect from what seemed like nothing at all. "There must be some sort of force field keeping the air in."

Something rather morbid occurred to her. "Wait a minute, if that's what's keeping in the air… That means it's the only air that we have…" She was almost afraid to ask. "What happens when that runs out?"

He turned to her, and she swore that both of them were thinking the same thing. "How many people are in this hospital?"

The American blinked, before looking towards Martha. The doctor-in-training seemed thrown that the question was suddenly directed at her. "I don't know, a thousand?" Martha threw out.

She turned back to the Doctor. "One thousand people. Suffocating." He seemed to get that through clenched teeth, and she knew it was for good reason. That was _appalling_!

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha asked horrified.

The Doctor couldn't hold in his curiosity anymore. "Better question is how did you know my name?" She perked her head up, and pointed to herself. "Yeah, that's what you called me. Back inside, when you wanted me to apologize for being rude – you called me by my name."

"Oh my God, you did…" Martha was shocked.

"I did?" She hadn't even realized it. She couldn't even specifically think back to when he was talking about. "I…" But clearly she did, and she could feel herself panicking. How to explain this without sounding crazy? Yeah sure, the Doctor had experienced some weird things but she was _sure _that this was going to take the cake.

"How did you know my name?" At this point, the Doctor was towering over her. She swallowed, even knowing who he was still didn't stop her from being intimidated just the slightest bit.

"Well… I…" She wasn't sure how to get away with this. She wasn't sure how to put it in a way that would let them move on quickly. She looked to Martha, but the woman was looking at her with shock and clearly she wasn't going to help her out. "It's hard…" She looked back and forth, this time not looking at either person. "I'm not… It's hard to explain." _Without sounding like a loon_.

"Well then, do you best…" The Doctor replied, clearly careless of _how _she put it as long as she explained it.

She leaned back against the balcony, this time with her back pressed against it. She tapped her fingers against the surface, a nervous tick of hers. "I'm… not _from _here…" That had to be the crappiest beginning that she had _ever _given.

"Of course not," Martha said, trying to rational this part. She couldn't blame her, considering what she was going to drop her with. "You're from America."

She titled her head back and forth, a 'so-so' look on her face. "Yeah, but… that's not _quite _true."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor demanded.

"I'm from America, but not… not _this _America." She knew he would understand it quicker than Martha. He had run into parallel universes before. "A different America."

Just like she predicted, a look of understand appeared across his face the instant after she spoke. "A parallel universe."

"Seriously?" Martha gasped as she turned to the Doctor, before turning back to the person she had thought was her friend. "So you're Alex from another world?"

She bit her lip. "No…" Oh, this was such a nightmare, and she _really _wished she hadn't spoken the Doctor's name. "I'm not… I'm not _Alex_, Martha." The woman just stared at her for a long time, and she had to look away and back to the Doctor. His eyes were easier to stare into than Martha's right now. "I'm not Alex. I don't even know how I got here in the first place. I was minding my own business, and then suddenly I wake up and I'm here with this poor girl's life and face and name and everything." Oh dear God, now she was rambling. _Someone please stop me_, "And how do you even _explain _that to everyone? I look exactly like her. I'm not supposed to, I mean, I don't have black hair and eyes like these – and can I just say how _weird _it this has been for me? It's just ridiculous. And no one even _realized _that I wasn't this Alex. That's almost scary, how similar this means I am to this Alex. Or how completely _unobservant _people are."

"How did you know who I was, then?"

That was easier to explain, somehow. "_Doctor Who_." The Doctor blinked, and she elaborated in more detail. "It's an English television show that started in the 1960s and it got cancelled around the 1980s, and it picked back up again in 2005 – that's the one that I'm the most familiar with. I love that show. It's my favorite." She felt so uncomfortable under the weight of both Martha's _and _the Doctor's stare that she couldn't help but add, "Weirdly enough that was what I had been watching before I ended up here."

"So everything that's happened between us? Everything that we've been through? All of that is gone?" Martha asked angry now. For good reason of course. "Where's the real Alex then?"

Before anyone could answer a large grinding noise hit their ears and they turned towards the left side of the hospital. Out of nowhere huge cylinder type ships appeared and moved away from the hospital and towards an even area of moon only a few feet away. With the new addition of people, the three of them forgot all about her predicament and came back to the present. "Aliens." Martha was stunned. "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

The Doctor knew them by their proper name. "Judoon." Weren't those the really short ones with the round heads? No wait… Those were _Sontarans_, which one where the Judoons again? Before she could properly think about it, the Doctor was already moving back into the hospital. She was quick to follow and heard Martha right on her heals.

-x-

The three of them gathered near the stairs of the second floor, to overlook everything going on at the main floor. She spat a few times to get the plant away from her mouth and made a ridiculous face at the taste. "Ew."

"Shhh!"

"_You _shhh!"

They stopped before they could start bickering again when the leader of the Judoon took off his helmet. "Oh yeah!" Alex whispered. "That's right, the Judoon are the outer-space _Rhino _people! Yeah, I remember!" The Doctor turned to look at her, and she blinked. "What? You can use that term if you want – outer-space rhinos. It's a really nice term."

"I…" He paused. "I just might, actually." She giggled. Chief Rhino spoke a bunch of phrases – or that's what it seemed like to her. It seemed to mean _something _to the other rhino people as they put their guns up and pointed towards the people. There was a tense moment, before she realized that Morgenstern was walking up to the Chief Rhino guy. She made a face, _I'm not so sure you should do that_! Too late, he was already talking to the big guy. "We are citizens of planet Earth. We welcome you in peace."

"Such a cliché line." She couldn't help but muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

_Just _like she predicated, talking to the Chief Rhino was _not _a good idea, judging from the fact that the alien turned and shoved Morgenstern against the wall. She saw him grab some sort of flashlight thing, and point the blue light at the human's mouth. Chief Rhino guy was completely unconcerned by Morgenstern's pleas. After a few tense minutes, the alien pulled the flashlight away and pressed a button.

It seemed to be a recording of some sort of Morgenstern's words. Once Chief Rhino seemed to have what he desired, he hooked up the flashlight to a port on his suit. In a guttural voice, he finally spoke their language. "Language assimilated. Designation Earth English." Well duh, she thought, he _did _say we were citizens of _Earth_. "You will be catalogued." He shined that same blue light on Morgenstern – this time pointed towards his forehead. Whatever beep the device indicated caused Chief Rhino to place a big 'X' on the back of the human's hand. "Category: human. Catalogue all suspects."

The rhinos then started going around, making sure to be very through in their investigation. They shined that same light on every person down there, but didn't seem to come up with what they were looking for as they put an 'X' on every person. However, none of this seemed to matter to the Doctor. "Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop." The Doctor just sounded so _pleased_.

"I always liked those little teddy bears that you could get for someone who was sick. I always thought they were so _cute_." The Doctor and her nodded towards each other, both agreeing.

"Never mind that," Martha came in, the focused one of the group. "What are Judoon?"

"Oh oh oh!" She raised her hands this time. "I know! Can I do it? Please?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, but then smiled and nodded. "They're policemen – _Well_, that's not entirely true. They're really more like police for _hire_. You need a problem – like something gets lost or something, and if you have enough money I figure, then you can call them and they'll help out – although they might 'cause a bit of trouble along the way to getting it back." She turned towards the Doctor. "Did I get that right?" The Doctor nodded and she gave herself a little round of applause.

"So why bring us to the moon?" Martha asked.

"Neutral territory." The Doctor answered. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightening? That was them, using an H2O scoop."

Martha started saying something, but the Doctor and she moved on to get a better look at the situation. "I'm _telling _you, Doctor. They're rhinos. Outer-space rhinos."

"Humans… You can only accept something if it fits your parameters."

She couldn't help but snort. "Actually, that sounds more like Americans than humans." She saw the Doctor pause at this, and then titled his head to side, clearly agreeing with her.

Martha finally moved with them, and spoke up again. "If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No. But I like that. Good thinking." The Doctor seemed truly impressed and she couldn't help but giggle. Good impressions were always good to have, she believed. However, like a switch the Doctor turned serious and back to the case at hand. "No, it's more simple." _Trespassing on the moon is complicated_? If anything, she would have believed that trespassing on the moon would be the simplest of the crimes to commit.

Although, that could just be her being human and narrow-minded. "How so?" She couldn't help but asked. How was it simpler?

"They're making a catalogue." He explained. "It means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me."

Of course it was, she didn't even question it as she looked back and watched the scene unfold. Martha had different ideas. "Why?" The Doctor just looked past her and towards Martha. Even she couldn't help but turn towards her friend and raise an eyebrow. For a moment, the doctor-in-training didn't even notice the both of them. Clearly, she had a good sense though, considering she did finally turn and see _both _of them giving her a similar look. "Oh," She realized what they were thinking. "You're kidding me." The Doctor just raised his eyebrow, and she just gave Martha a look as if to say '_really_?' "Don't be ridiculous." She smiled, trying to pass it off as if it was a joke. When they didn't let up, her smile disappeared. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on, then." The Doctor stood up and walked swiftly over to the stairs.

"Oh, are we going now?" She asked as she jumped up and rushed after him. "What are we going to do now?" The Doctor started to go into some long scientific explanation that was just symbols put together. "Speak _English_!" She said as she tapped on his back. "No one can understand you except you!"

The Doctor just huffed, mumbling something about _humans_. They entered a differently floor and she looked around, all of the people anywhere – all confused, and scared, and terrified and she could feel it within her very bones. She was so engrossed in the emotions around her that she practically ran right into the Doctor's back. "Ow!" She hissed as she threw her hands up and rubbed her now sore nose. "That hurt!"

"Watch it, then." The Doctor replied over his shoulder, and then turned to the two humans. "Where's a computer? I need a computer."

"Uh… this way…" Martha started to lead the Doctor away.

She would have followed them, until she saw a small young girl – no more than ten years old. She was rocking back and forth, holding onto a clearly beloved doll. There were tears running down her face, her parents both clinging to her tightly and rocking her back and forth. The child looked up through the windows and looked right into her eyes. She swallowed, feeling her heart tighten in her chest and her throat close up.

She had to help them, somehow. Anyway that she could, she _had _to help them. "Oi!" She whirled around and saw the Doctor jogging back to her. "Come on!" He grabbed her bicep to get her moving again. He saw something in her eyes, for it made him pause. "What's wrong?" He looked back to where she had been. "What were you looking at?"

"Nothing." The reply was quick, she hadn't even thought about it – as if it had been her default phrase. "Nothing at all." To keep the Doctor from question her further, she twisted his grasp around so that she was the one leading. "So, it's this way, eh?" She tugged on his hand and they both went far away from the small child and her parents.

Although, in hindsight, it might have been best if she had stayed out in the corridor. With the Doctor, she felt almost useless. He was on the computer, doing some crazy genius thing with it that needed his sonic screwdriver. She was pretty sure that he didn't trust her anywhere near enough to help out, so she just ended up standing nearby, messing with a strand of her strange-colored hair, thinking hard. "How did you do it?"

She blinked multiple times, startled that he was suddenly talking to her. Until then, he had just been muttering to himself, too quickly for her to understand. "What?"

"From your world to mine? How did you do it?"

He was clearly about to start listing off all the different ways, and she wanted to stop him before he got rolling. "I don't know." She continued to fiddle with that piece of hair. "I really… You have to believe me, Doctor. I _really _don't know."

He ran a hand down his face, "Explain it to me."

"You want to do this now?" Alex gave him a strange look. "Shouldn't you be working on finding whatever it is that Big-Chief-Rhino guy – you can use that too if you want – is trying to find."

"I'm good at multitasking." The Time Lord replied, and then looked at her for a minute, expectantly. "Now, explain everything that happened."

She couldn't help but smile. "I'll warn you, I have an absolutely awful memory. I can't even remember what I had for breakfast."

The Doctor rolled his eyes – but she knew that she had caught a smile on his lips. "Try to remember the best you can."

"Well, it's really not all the spectacular." She admitted, fiddling with her strange delicate-looking fingers. "I was at home, watching an episode of _Doctor Who_, and then I… I _think _I fell asleep for something, but all I know for sure is that the next second I'm here – with _her_ life." She raised up her hands, indicated to the woman she had now become. "I was in her apartment, with her looks and everything…"

She looked over at the Doctor, hoping and praying that maybe he could give her an answer. He had to know, he knew everything. They looked at each other for a very long moment, until he broke it and looked back at the computer. "I'm sorry, I don't know." She could feel her heart sink a bit. "I really don't know. I've _never _heard of that ever happening. Especially in this way." He gestured to her body, clearly indicating that he had never experienced a person become another when crossing differently worlds. "That's never happened before. Did this Alex Harper ever exist in your world that you know of?"

She looked back at her hands, "That's… that's actually the thing. I remember a while back, I had… I do a lot of writing, you see, lots of creative writing and a while back and I created this character named Alex Harper. It was a while ago, and I hadn't done anything recent with her, but I think… If I remember correctly – and it's entirely possible that I'm wrong – but I think she had these looks. She looked like this, and I created her similar to me – a persona." When she saw the Doctor's confused look, she smiled and elaborated. "It's where you create a character based off of yourself – similar personality, similar likes and interest, sometimes you create a character that you want to be. Give her a job that you want to have, all that stuff."

"Is that what you did?" He asked, as he clicked through all the files in the hospital database.

She chuckled. "Yeah, actually… I was quite proud of her when I was finished with my latest story. Does… Did that may have had something do with it?"

"Possibly." The Doctor answered. She could _see _his brain start going, giving him something to puzzle over. "Actually, it's quite possible. It makes you so similar, it's like having two people in one area – maybe the universe decided to fix itself."

"What do you mean?"

He looked over to her, now speaking more and more quickly. "You said it yourself that this Alex was a persona of you. Now, it doesn't answer how you got here, but it would explain why you _became _Alex Harper. The universe it wild and strange and can do all sorts of things – things people couldn't even dream of. It's alive and working itself around all of our lives. Maybe…" The Doctor paused, really thinking this over. "_Maybe_ the moment you entered this world, the universe _fixed _itself – preventing from having a paradox if you – in your original look – ever met Alex, by _making _you Alex."

"So… I am Alex? Alex is me?"

The Doctor nodded his head, seeming to like his idea better and better by the second. "Yes, that probably is what happened. You became Alex the moment you entered our universe. Alex is now you. Welcome to your new life, Alex Harper."

She paused for a long moment, thinking that over. "So, is that… okay? For me to accept that?"

"I don't see why not. _You _created her to be you. You basically created yourself – different looks, apparently – but you created a you in a different universe. You created yourself when you created Alex, and somehow she ended up in our universe. So, now that _you _from your world crossed over to this world, you became Alex – since she is you in this world."

She could follow that, she believed. "I think I understand." She tried it out, thinking about the name Alex – thinking about calling herself that. "I mean, I can't argue with you – well…" Alex laughed for a minute. "Actually, I _could _but I'd fail epicly at it." The Doctor nodded his head, lifting up his chin enjoying the ego stroke she was giving him. "Moving on." Since that was out of the way, Alex needed something else. "Can I _please _help in _some _way? I'm dying over boredom over here, Doctor. You don't even need to give me anything important, since you clearly don't trust me all that much. But can you give me _something _to do?"

The Doctor didn't answer at first, and she started to believe that he was ignoring her. Until he finally spoke, "Here, I need you to switch these three wires in the exact order I tell you. I _need _better reception for my screwdriver." Alex did a mental victory dance as she followed his exact instructions – and yes, she might have been trying to show off to him a bit about how good she was at following. She wanted the Doctor to _like _her just as much as any other girl would in her position.

After a few minutes of the Doctor directing her for certain small tasks, Martha rushed into the room. Alex peeked her head over the counter, wondering where she had been. "They've reached the third floor." Oh, scouting out the hospital, Alex nodded her head and then ducked back down to fix some more wires. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver." The Doctor replied without much care as to what he was really saying, "No no no, Alex, the _blue _and the red have to be swapped!"

"Sorry!" Alex picked her head back up, "It's hard to hear down here, awesome shoes by the way." He grinned at her, and she went back down. "Red and blue, you said?"

"Yeah. Then move the yellow over two places."

Martha was a little irritated that he hadn't been really focused on her. "Well if you're not going to answer me properly!"

The Doctor turned back to Martha, this time giving her his attention. "No really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic." He held it up for her to properly see it. "Look."

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?" Alex could _hear _her friend's sarcasm, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman."

Alex popped back up. "Two things, first I remember hearing about her in high school – I was so proud 'cause I knew her 'cause you mentioned her." The Doctor smiled. "Secondly, American here," She waved her hand, "what's a _spanner_?" That sounded like one of the weirdest words to ever come across her mouth.

"Wrench." The Doctor supplied. Alex's face clearly, see now that made much more sense to her.

"Right." She snapped her fingers at the alien. "So, next step?"

"You're good," He turned back to the computer, clicking away for a minute or so before become quickly angry. "What's wrong with this computer?!" He smacked it a good few times, and Alex became affronted.

"You said I was good!" She defended. "If I did something wrong, you should have told me!" She never did like it when people give her false praise.

"What? No no no," The Doctor waved his hand at her. "It's not you. The Judoon must have locked them down. Judoon Platoon upon the Moon." He ran a hand through his hair and Alex resisted the urge to just _giggle_. She was torn between swooning – she could only _imagine _how soft that hair must be – and laughing because he looked _so stupid _with his hair sticking out in all different directions. "'Cause I was just traveling past, I swear, I was just wandering, I wasn't looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn't."

He was picking up speed with his talk, but Alex _had _to input something before he got up to full speed. "That's silly, Doctor," He turned to look at her. "Even if _you _don't go looking for trouble, you should have realized by now that _trouble _goes and finds you."

He gave her a look that told her how truthful she knew that statement was. "I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightening, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so I checked in, I thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what are they looking for?" Martha asked. Oh, see now to Alex _that _was the million dollar question. If they could find what the Judoon were looking for maybe they could fix this before any of it got out of hand.

"Something that looks human, but isn't." He turned to Martha for a brief second, before looking back at the computer, skimming through the files at super speeds.

"Like you." Martha added.

"_But _not." Alex pointed to her friend, making sure that it was clear. "See, _good _alien," she motioned to the Doctor who waved at her. "_Bad _alien." She gestured to the computers, since she had nothing else to go on. "_Good_ – _Bad_. See?"

"Yeah." Martha replied, looking at Alex with a weird look on her face.

She ignored it to look back at the good alien in front of her. "That would have worked better if I had something to show Martha – which reminds me, wouldn't they have a photo or something of the bad alien? I figured that would make it much easier."

The Doctor shrugged, "could be a shape changer."

Martha came back into the conversation, "Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?"

"If they declare the hospital of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

Alex cut in before Martha could. "I'm sorry… I must have heard you wrong, did you say _execution_? As in death? As in they will kill us _all _for _one _alien? You know like with guns and stuff?"

"Oh yes." Her eyes widened, her smile dropping and she turned towards Martha who had a similar look of horror on her face. "If I can find this thing first… Oh!" The two humans jumped back at the sudden noise from the Time Lord's mouth. "Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever." Judging from his tone, that was the opposite of clever. That had to be the stupidest thing he must have ever run across.

"What are you looking for?" Martha asked.

"I don't know." Alex felt a weird chill go down her spine when she heard him say that. Oh, bad things happen when he doesn't know. Her hands twitched when he placed both of his hands on his head, showing just how _thick _his hair was. Oh, she was trying so very hard to keep herself from drooling. "Any patient admitting in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a backup." He picked up the monitor, and Alex slowly slid herself back towards where all the wires were hooking up. She guessed right when he looked up towards where she had been. "Alex –" He stopped when she wasn't there.

"Over here, Doctor." She waved her fingers at him when his head snapped over. "See," She pointed to her temple before going back and forth. "I read your mind there, knew exactly what you would need." She saw another smile just barely there, and slowly sunk back down to the group of wires. "What da ya need, good man?"

Martha ran off, saying something about Mr. Stoker as the Doctor directed her to the different wires. "What were you looking at back in the hallway?"

Alex peeked up, her chin inches from the counter. "Say what?"

"Back when I had to come get you," The Doctor explained. "What were you looking at?"

"You're full of questions." Alex laughed, and after a second the Doctor joined in. She figured there was nothing wrong with tell him, "There was a kid. Just a small girl, she didn't look like she was any older than ten years old. I think she was a cancer patient or something. She looked really scared, her parents were hugging her and rocking her back and forth, and I don't know… She looked up and we looked at each other for a moment." She looked away for a moment. "And I don't know, but I just… I wanted to help these people – not just the little girl, but all of the patients here. They're probably so terrified and scared and they don't know how to handle this kind of stuff – it's so dangerous and strange to them, I'm sure. And I want to help get them back to Earth."

When she looked back up to the Doctor, she saw that he was looking at her with such a gentle look. The brown in his eyes just melted and soothed over her. "That's incredible compassionate of you." She smiled up at him, and plugged in the last wire. She looked back up at him, and he looked back at the screen, seeming to understand that she was becoming uncomfortable – or maybe not, taking into account how absolutely social challenge he could be. "Got it!" He jumped up and tapped on the counter, "Let's go!"

She followed his movements and they both rushed out the room. Great part was just as they exited the room, they ran right into Martha. "Sweet, Martha, they you are! We've restored the back up – ya know got all of the records and everything! I even _helped_!" She had a right to be proud, she believed. The Doctor patted her shoulder, and that just made her feel even better.

"I've found her."

Both paused and looked at her surprised. "You did what?" The Doctor asked, as if to make sure he heard her correctly. They _must _have heard her wrong, she concluded. There was no way Martha found them _that _easily. To answer his question, some guy in motorcycle gear – completely with a sleek black helmet – crashed through the door opposite to them. "Run!"

Alex hadn't even been sure what exactly happened. They rushed off, away from the guy and down the corridor. She felt something tug on her hand again, and looked down surprised to see that it was the Doctor's hand. She was momentarily distracted by how _large _his hand was. His hand pretty much just swallowed up hers. They burst through the door at the far end of the hallway, and down the stairs. "Ah!" She squealed when she saw the Judoon stomp up the stairs, two at a time.

She grabbed the Doctor's hand – having to use both of hers to slow him down. He slid to a halt just in front of them, and she was tugging his arm. "Doctor, come on!" He spun around and readjusted their hands before they were running into a different corridor.

Alex didn't get a good look at this one, since pretty much they all looked the same to her. She was thankful that it seemed like no one was on this floor to get into this crazy guy's way. The Doctor was able to get in front of them by a couple of steps – letting go of their hands to do this. He whirled around suddenly, redirecting Martha down a different hall. "Whoa!" She couldn't put her breaks on quick enough and just ended up sliding into the Doctor. Apparently – with how small she was – she would have just bounced right off of him, if he hadn't caught her by her arms. He spun her to her left and pushed her onwards.

"Where are we going, Doctor?" She called to him, and to answer all he did was spin her sharply so that she just ended up skidding into a room. She looked around and realized this must be where people took x-rays – she knew enough of what the technology looked like from visits as a teenager. "What are we going to do in here?" She asked, breathlessly as she turned to look at him. "You _must _have a plan." Unless this was one of those times where he was just bullshitting his way through it – which now that she thought about it was what he did _most _of the time.

Oh boy, she's doomed.

He didn't answer her right away – and she was starting to get a little miffed about that. He just shoved Martha and her towards the smaller room that was attached, speaking quickly. "When I saw 'now', press the button."

Alex fought with him so that she could turn to look at him. "What button? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know which one!" Martha panicked.

"Then find out!" Alex just threw up her hands as the Time Lord went back into the first room.

"How are we suppose to find out when the guy was like right on top of us?" She was spinning around, making herself ridiculously dizzy, trying to find a manual or something. "And I was never good at this in the first place, considering I don't even _work _in this area! This is technology that I was taught not to touch 'cause I didn't know how to work it!"

At this point, she was just talking to keep herself occupied. "Here it is!" She rushed over to Martha as they both threw open the manual. They just needed to find the button that turned the damn thing _on_. They didn't need anything else. Alex was pretty sure that she had ripped a few pages near the bottom in her haste, but she couldn't be concerned about that.

Especially when Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Dangerous Motorcycle Guy broke through the door. Martha and Alex looked up, startled. "Now!"

The two women looked at each other, "Oh, dammit!" She just slammed her hand on the yellow button – the one that had the most promise from her point of view – and prayed to every god she could think of that she had picked the right one.

Apparently, she had some great luck since a bright light filled the room. Alex squinted her eyes, but could just make out the Doctor and Motorcycle guy. She was fascinated when she saw that she could _see _the Doctor's skeleton through his body. She was so fascinated, that for a second she forgot about the blinding light and opened her eyes to get a better look.

Which was a _horrible _idea, and her she lost her eyesight for a few minutes as she snapped her lids over her eyes to protect them from any further damage. She heard a loud _thud_, and peeked one eye open before opening both of them when she saw that the light was now gone, and Motorcycle guy was now lying face first on the ground, completely still. "What did you do?" Martha asked slowly.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead."

"First off, clever." Alex gave him that. She could see the Doctor smirking from where she was. "Secondly, and marginally more importantly, if that killed _him _what's stopping _you _from dying?" Unless she's mistaken radiation was indeed deadly.

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation." That meant nothing to her, but if it meant he was safe then she'd take it. "We use to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery." She had a wild moment where she imaged a tiny little tenth Doctor, with a diaper and a cute _adorable _little face, playing with all sorts of crazy toys that she could only imagine Time Lords would have. She tried her best not to reveal herself as she giggled internally. "It's safe for you to come out now, I've absorbed it all."

They slowly made their way out. While she wouldn't say that she would ever _doubt _the Doctor, she didn't like the idea of walking into a room that just had been filled with _five thousand percent _of radiation all the same. She saw him bouncing around and looked at him confused. "What are you doing?" She started bouncing on her heels, "Should we be doing that, too?"

"Nah." The Doctor waved her off again, and she stood still on her feet as commanded. "I just need to expel it. If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot." He lifted up his left foot, and Alex realized what he was saying. Oh no, she thought with some despair. Not the shoes, I love those. "It's in my left shoe." Damn, he put them in there. Alex rolled her eyes. There go a _fabulous _pair of converse. "Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." He started to dance around, shaking his foot as he went and Alex was going to bit her lip off in order to stop herself from laughing. "Out, out, out, out out. Out, out." His face scrunched up into such a comical look of pain that she threw her hands up and over her mouth to keep the laughter at bay. "Ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah – hold on."

He finally grabbed his shoe – sock and all – and threw it into the hazardous labeled bin. "Done."

Martha just looked at him as if he had sprouted three heads. "You're completely mad."

"You're right. I look daft with one shoe." So, to solve this apparent problem, he just took his other shoe and sock and threw it into the bin. "Barefoot on the moon!"

Oh, she couldn't do it anymore. That was where she _lost _it. Her shoulders shook, and she threw her arms down to wrap around her stomach as she just laughed and laughed and laughed. Oh God, this was the best thing to ever happen. "You're _brilliant_! That was... That was _hilarious_!" Her stomach was starting to hurt so much and her eyes were starting to burn with the tears falling down her cheeks.

"Alex!"

She threw her hands up. "Give me a minute, give me a minute..." She couldn't breathe properly and put her hands on her knees. She finally stood tall when she was under control again, but when she looked back at the Doctor's bare feet, she had to at least giggle. "Man, that was just great! I love you..." She wiped the tears off her cheeks. The Doctor was grinning at her, clearly pleased with the fact she was enjoying herself so much.

Martha got them back on point as she turned and walked over to Motorcycle guy. "So what is that thing? And where's it from? The plant Zovirax?" Alex walked over and squatted down next to her friend, hugging her knees close to her chest.

"It's just a Slab." _Oh_, so _that's _what that's called. "They're called 'Slabs'."

She nodded her head. "That's a _much _better name that Motorcycle guy." The Doctor looked at her. "What? He has a motorcycle helmet and he's got the gear and stuff, and I don't know everything like you do – so that's what I've been calling him. I had nothing else to go on."

"Do you come up with a name for everything?"

She thought about it for a second. "Possibly. But I come up with a name that I create off the top of my head. Helps me keep straight who's who."

He nodded, and continued on. "Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through." She didn't believe him until she reached out and felt it with her own hands. _Oooh, that's strange_. It's a weird feeling, and she kept squeezing. "Someone has got one hell of a fetish." Alex giggled when he said that and he winked at her.

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan." Martha explained. "It was working for her. Just like a servant."

Alex heard a hissing noise and walked over to where the Doctor was, peeking over his shoulder to see what could make such a noise. Turns out, it was what remained of his sonic screwdriver. The Doctor turned to her, looking so completely horrified – his poor baby screwdriver was now destroyed. "My sonic screwdriver."

"It had a good life, Doctor." She tried to comfort him. She nodded her head earnestly when he looked at her. "It went on all sorts of adventures with you." She saw that gave him a little comfort.

"She was one of the patients, but –"

Neither one of them was paying attention. "My sonic screwdriver!" The Doctor repeated, still so heart-broken. Alex was reminded of a little child after they found their favorite toy broken – which was appropriate for this Doctor, considering he did love his screwdriver. He held it out for Alex to see.

"I know, it's awful." She ran her finger down the metal and snapped it back when it burned. She waved her finger a bit to ease the pain and then looked sympathetically towards the alien. "I'm sorry, Doctor."

"She had a straw like some sort of vampire."

Still weren't paying attention. "I love my sonic screwdriver!" He spoke earnestly, as if Alex didn't already know that.

She nodded her head, "I know. You do love it." She patted his hand. "But can't you get another one or something?"

"I could." The Doctor agreed, but his voice sounded like a stubborn child. "But I like _this _one! This one was my favorite!"

"Doctor! Alex!"

Both turned towards her, surprised and they realized that she had important things on her mind. The Doctor threw his screwdriver over his shoulder as they apologized to her. They soon got distracted again. "You called me Doctor." He smiled and turned to Alex. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did." She was giggled. "That's great, now we're all on the same page." She lifted up her hand and they high fived each other.

"Anyway!" Oh right yes, _priorities_. Alex had to remind herself. "Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mrs. Stoker's blood."

Alex scrunched up her nose, ew like a _vampire_. See, now that's just nasty. "Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless – no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute." Oh he's getting an idea, Alex eagerly waited. He was really helpful when he had an idea. "Yes!" They jumped when he yelled it out. "Shape changer. _Internal _shape changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it." The brunette girl paused and really thought about that for a second, and raised her hand. the Doctor paused and looked at her. "Um... Yes, Alex?"

She lowered her hand as she spoke. "So, you're saying that she was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood 'cause she wanted to transform her biology to match his. _But_, won't that mean that if the Judoon find her first, that she'll register as human to them? She'll be able to slip right past them, and they'd never know."

The Doctor thought about that quickly, and grinned. "Oh, brilliant! Brilliant Allie!" Everyone paused as they looked at each other. "Oh..." He titled his head back and forth, testing out the nickname. "I like that. Allie. Came up with it just now, but I do like that sound. _Allie_. Allie..."

He tried it out a few times before looking over at the young human woman. She lifted up her hands towards him with a smile. "By all means, Doctor, if you like that nickname than it is yours."

He smiled, seeming to like that idea, before he got serious as he got back on track. "We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" He took off out of the room and the humans were quick to follow him.

"Back out we go!" Alex said with some glee. She could hear appropriate adventure music playing in her head and would have started humming along if she hadn't realized that that would have been _completely _inappropriate. She didn't even notice that the Doctor had stopped, until she was pulled backwards and pretty much fell into the Doctor's arms. "What the...?" She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Dude, not cool. A little warning would have been nice, I could have hurt you or something..."

He guided her over to a water cooler and the three of them hid behind it as another Slab came walking past their view. She felt something light brush on her neck, and the skin there twitched. Ugh, she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw that the Doctor was leaning almost next to her head, trying to keep a good eye on the Slab. It took her a minute to realize that it was his _breathing _that was brushing so lightly against her neck. She felt another exhale glide down the skin and she tried not to make it obvious as she tried to lean farther away from him and scrunched up that side of her neck, trying to ease the tickling.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs." Sweet, buddy system seems to be important even to aliens. That was actually kind of cool if Slab guy _wasn't _trying to kill them.

"What about you?" Martha asked.

"What about me what?" The Doctor asked, the same time Alex spoke up, "What about him what?" She saw the Doctor look down at her and she just shrugged. She couldn't help it if they spoke at the same time. They hadn't been looking at Martha, but at the Slab so she couldn't figure out who she was talking to.

"Haven't you got back up? You must have a partner or something?" Alex looked over surprised that Martha would go there, until it occurred to her that Martha didn't know anything about Rose like she did. She then looked back at the Doctor, a cold sort of feeling washing over her. No, it wasn't that she was afraid of the Doctor's reaction or anything – not that kind of cold.

The Doctor just looked offended. He scoffed, and while Alex could just _barely _see the hidden pain within his eyes, she could _feel _it so much more clearly. "Humans. We're stuck on the moon, running out of air, with Judoon and a blood sucking criminal, and you're asking personal questions. Come on."

Well, not it was her turn to be offended. "Oi!" She hissed and smacked him on the back. The Doctor whirled his head around, confused. She walked up to him so they were side by side so she could speak to just him. "Don't you say _humans_. May I point out that _Martha _was the one that asked that question? _I _know better than to do that. Don't lump all of us together, Mr." She nodded her head sharply, making sure to look serious.

"Oh Allie," She looked up and saw that he was grinning at her. "I don't think I could _ever _mislabel you."

She just continued to stare at him. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" She wasn't quite sure how to take that.

He wasn't able to answer as they turned to corner – and ran _right _into the Judoon. One of them shined a light at the Doctor's forehead. "Non-human."

Well, now Martha _really did _believe it. "Oh my God, you really are!"

The Doctor turned towards the two women. "And again!" He grabbed their hands and they took off down the hall, as far away from the Judoon as possible. Alex let out a short scream when they fired off their guns and that just made her run just as fast as before. They were able to get up into the stairs and into a different hallway.

"My God, there are just _so many _hallways!" Alex muttered under her breath, exasperated. "Is there really such a need for this?" She supposed so, and in any other case really wouldn't mind. It was just getting difficult since she had to _run _through all of them.

"They've done this floor." The Doctor was speaking quickly, passing by all of the people that were just slumped up against the walls. "Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

Alex slowed down again, surprised that the Doctor could just walk through all of this without looking at all of the people around him – without _feeling _all of the emotions in the air. There was so much despair and hopelessness that she could taste it. She saw Julia with one of the more delicate patients. She walked over to squat down. "How much oxygen is left?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Julia looked over at Alex in anguish. "Not enough for all of these people. We're going to run out." The American woman swallowed and could feel her chest tighten. They had to solve this quickly then. She had to help the Doctor the best she could, that way once this is all over the Judoon – hopefully – would send the hospital down to Earth where there is an abundance of oxygen for everyone.

She leaned towards the patient, and gently placed a hand onto hers. "Hello," She greeted as the woman slowly opened her eyes. She looked so frail that it broke Alex's heart. "My name is Alex Harper. I'm a nurse here, and we're doing _everything _we can to work this out. If you can just hold on a _little _longer, then everything is going to be okay and we'll be back to Earth. We're almost done in fixing the problem. Okay?" The woman nodded her head, and Alex smiled at her for comfort. "Thank you for being so brave for us."

She stood back up and turned to see that the Doctor had paused for her. She blinked when she once again saw that same melting look in his eyes. She opened her mouth to ask him what was going on in that alien brain of his, but he spoke first. "How are you both feeling? Are you all right?"

"I'm running on adrenaline." Martha replied as Alex walked over to her side.

She just shrugged. "I'm doing okay." She looked back at the poor woman and sighed. "Not great – we need to save these people." The Doctor just looked at her. She wanted to add that he _really _needed to stop looking at her like that, because it was making her feel _really _uncomfortable. It almost was like he was looking at _her_ – but looking through her to someone else. She tried to distract him by asking a different question, "What about the Judoon? Is the lack of oxygen going to affect them in anyway?"

"Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down." He looked back and forth before turning to Martha. "Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

"It's this way." Martha lead them back to the office that she had seen the space-vampire and Alex didn't even realize she was slowly inching herself towards the Doctor. She just kept _feeling_, and it was really starting to affect her. She flinched for a second when she felt a warm hand rest just at the small of her back, and turned to see that it was the Doctor. He didn't even look at her, but started to rub his thumb across her back, as if to ease her.

She looked forward again, but muttered under her breath, "Thank you." He squeezed but said nothing.

They entered the office just after Martha, and the Doctor dropped his hand as Martha spoke. "She's gone! She was here."

The alien passed her to examine Mr. Stoker's body. Alex stayed near the door, looking out into the hallway to give the appearance that she was on the look-out. Honestly, she just didn't want to see a dead body. "Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore."

"Why is she here on Earth then?" What would be the point to come to a planet like theirs? "Unless she happens to like the taste of us, I suppose."

"Nah. She's hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro." That meant next to nothing to the woman. Was that even an American film? "What's she doing now?" The Doctor wondered aloud, thinking to himself as he just stared at the wall next to Alex. "She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on."

He just pasted Alex when Martha spoke up, "Wait a minute." Both turned to see her close Mr. Stoker's eyes, and the smaller looked away, trying to push away the feeling of discomfort. When Martha was close enough the two of them started to move.

"Think, think, think. If I was a wanted plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He looked up and something caught his eyes. Alex turned but only saw the sign that mentioned where the MRI was. She didn't see anything important. "Aah. She's as clever as me. Well, almost."

"I don't understand." Alex confessed, looking between the sign and the Doctor. "How can the MRI chamber help her escape from being surrounded by outer space police?"

"Well, Allie, you see…"

There was a large bang as the door far down the hall swung open. "Find the non-human. Execute." The Judoon were now gathered all together, and were determined to find the Doctor.

"Stay here." The Doctor said, instead and Alex was a little annoyed that he couldn't explain. She really did want to know how the MRI chambers came into play here. "I need time. You both are going to have to hold them up."

"Doctor, you clearly have a lot more faith in us than you should." Alex said, "How exactly can two humans hold off – for any amount of time – a _Judoon platoon_?" Sure, he could probably do it with his super-duper Time Lord brain and handy-dandy sonic screwdriver – but since they had neither, Alex was pretty sure that they weren't much good.

"She's right. How do we do that?" Martha asked in a panic.

"Martha, forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing." Both girls just stared at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Was the oxygen finally getting to him because she couldn't figure out what he was going on about. Oh wait… It came to her, and she suddenly remembered –

The Doctor grasped onto Martha's cheeks so that he could give her a kiss. Alex watched for a second with wide eyes, before looking _anywhere _but them. She didn't know why, but she had a powerful sense of awkwardness. He broke off the kiss, and she felt hands on her shoulders. She squeaked, and threw her hands up to his chest to keep him at bay. "What are you doing?!" She yelped in a rather high pitch voice. "That was awkward enough as it was, and I am _not _about to go through that _times two _by kissing you." She kept pushing him away, trying to get some distance between them. "Martha's gonna be enough, I'm sure. Get away from me, you stupid man!"

He stood up tall and fixed his jacket. "Well, it's not like I had a choice. I need to do this, Allie." He grasped her face, and she squeezed her eyes tightly but instead of feeling his lips on hers, instead she felt them on her forehead. He gave her a good one, and even still it brought a bright blush to her cheeks. "There you go, Allie. Wonderful." He muttered, and she realized it was just for her ears. He rushed off, and Alex pressed a hand to her forehead, still blushing. Well, at least he didn't take her first kiss – so at least that was something.

She snapped out of it first, and turned to Martha. "_That _was nothing?" Her friend ask almost dreamily.

"Martha," She tugged on her jacket to get the woman to focus. "Come on, we have to stall them… Somehow…" How she still had no idea, but the Doctor _kissed _them, so clearly he knew something that they didn't. "Okay, I don't know what's going to happen, Martha." Curse her bad memory. "So, just…" She shrugged uselessly. "I don't know, just wing it or something. We just need to stall them for as long as we can, for the Doctor."

Martha nodded her head as the Judoon got closer. "Find the non-human." Chief Rhino commanded to his troops. "Execute."

He saw them and as he was walking over to them, Martha spoke. "Now, listen. I know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence." He ignored her completely, and held up that weird flashlight thing to her face. Another Judoon came up and repeated the process with her. She leaned just the slightest bit away, mimicking the Doctor's earlier reaction.

"Human." Chief Rhino said, but there was a beep that even she could pick up from the devices that seemed to catch his attention. "With non-human traits suspected." After another minute, the devices created another beep. "Non-human element confirmed. Authorize full scan." As Alex was backed up against the wall next to Martha, she realized what the Doctor had planned. By kissing them, it somehow messed up the machines and confused them. She squeezed her hands together, they were doing this for the Doctor, she reminded herself. He needed time, so they were giving him time. "What are you? What are you?" She looked over at Martha out of the corner of her eye, sharing a look.

-x-

After a _much _longer scan, the results determined exactly what had happened. "Confirmed: human." Chief Rhino announced as he and the other Judoon put a nice big 'X' on their hands. "Traces of facial contact with non-human. Continue the search." It was kind of funny that they didn't even question it. Human kissed a non-human? They didn't even blink. She would have laughed or even chuckled if it wouldn't have been so untimely. Why couldn't humans be that way? A guy kisses a guy? Girl kisses a girl? Let it go, there are bigger things to deal with.

"What's this then?" Alex asked, offhandedly as they were both handed a piece of paper with some weird symbols on them.

"Compensation." The two women just paused and looked strangely at the papers. They followed the Judoon down the corridor, and Alex just tossed the paper away – as if she could _do _anything with it anyways. They entered the room, and Alex tried to see past all of the Judoon, and had to really squeeze her way through all of them so neatly lined up. At least they didn't seem to care – they didn't even look at her. She heard a _thud_ come from somewhere in the front, and paused at the noise for a second.

"Now see what you've done." She heard an elderly voice say. Alex could have sworn that she had heard that voice before, but brushed it off. "This poor man just died of fright." The moment she said that, Alex felt a cold chill run down her spine. What poor man? She became more urgent as she pushed her way through to the front.

Her hands came up over her mouth in horror when she saw it was the Doctor that was lying on the floor, his voice devoid of color. "No, oh please no…" She muttered to herself.

"Scan him!" Chief Rhino commanded, and Alex looked over at the Judoon who did, hopefully. "Confirmation: deceased." She closed her eyes, refusing to believe the words. She gripped her chest, over her heart, trying her best not to have a panic attack.

"No, he can't be. Let me through, let me see him." Martha demanded, clearly calmer about this than Alex was. She didn't know, Alex thought, she didn't know the Doctor like Alex did. And now, she never was going to know.

"Stop." The Chief guy commanded as one of his soldiers halted Martha. "Case closed."

"But it was her." Martha insisted, desperately trying to get the Judoon to see. Alex looked down at the Doctor's lifeless body, her hands clasped in front of her mouth. What was he even _doing _in here with this lady before the Judoon came in? That's what Alex couldn't figure out. "She killed him. She did it. She murdered him."

The aliens weren't concerned. "The Judoon have no authority over human crimes."

Martha voiced her thoughts. "But she's not human." She was a plasmavore – and then it came to Alex. She realized what the Doctor had been doing. She closed her eyes tightly, _oh that _stupid _Time Lord_! She thought angrily. _Why is he _so _insistent on being so damn self-destruction_? Alex swore that he had _no _self-preservation instincts whatsoever.

"Oh, but I am." The evil alien insisted. "I've been catalogued."

"Not if you drank the Doctor's blood." Alex replied as she reached towards the nearest Judoon and snatched up his flashlight thing. She fiddled with it for a long moment, before turning on the old lady. If she drank the Doctor's blood – probably under the false idea that he was human – than she would be registered as alien by the weird device thing.

_That's _what the Doctor had been doing before they entered. "Oh, alright. Scan all you like." Thank you, Alex thought, I will.

There was a beeping, and the Chief picked up on it immediately. "Non-human." _Yes_! Alex thought with a grin. _Got you_!

All of the old lady's confidence dropped the moment he said that. "What?" She looked at Alex confused, but she only grinned. She handed the Judoon back his flashlight, done with her work.

"Confirm analysis." Each of the Judoon in the squad picked up their weird alien devices and pointed it at her. Alex ducked down so that she wouldn't get in anyone's way.

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely," She was saying, trying to pick up the pieces that use to be her cover-up. "I'm human. I'm as human as they come." As if, Alex thought. You're the farthest thing from a human.

"He gave his life so they'd find you." Martha muttered.

"Oh that is just _so _typical, you idiot." Alex grumbled under her breath. "Seriously, do you have _any _instinct in that stupid brain of yours that at least _tries _to protect you from danger?" She highly doubted it and she rolled her eyes to no one.

"Confirmed: Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine." Well, that makes sense. If anyone has enough money to hire outer-space police like the Judoon, Alex figured it would be a royal family.

Finally, the plasmavore dropped the act. "She deserved it! Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls, and that simpering voice! She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore." Alex just stared at the woman. Well, that was stupid to say to someone like the Judoon – she reckoned. Probably just signed her own death warrant, Alex thought with a slow shake of her head.

"Do you confess?" Chief Rhino asked.

"Confess? I'm proud of it!" Yep, _definitely _signed it. Alex rolled her eyes, and slowly crawled past all of the Judoon to get to the Doctor. "Slab – stop them." The American doubted that was going to do anything, but pressed her face to the Doctor's chest as the Chief Rhino pulled out his gun and shot the Slab. It seemed to sort of just disintegrate in a nasty red light, and Alex winced. What an awful way to go…

She lifted up her head, and watched the scene unfold. "Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution." She turned to see that the plasmavore was back in the room to control the MRI. She had this crazy kind of look in her eyes that Alex _really _didn't like.

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me. Burn in _hell_!" Her voice became a shriek as the whole Judoon squad took aim and disintegrated her with their guns.

Martha rushed past all of them, and landed on the other side of the Doctor. "Case closed." The Chief guy said with finality. Except, Alex really didn't think so – judging by the plasmavore's last words.

Martha didn't seem to believe it either. "What did she mean, 'burn with me'?" Both turned and saw the MRI sparking with dangerous bouts of electricity. "The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something."

Calm as could be, the Chief walked over and scanned the human device. "Scans detect lethal accelerations of monomagnetic pulse."

Alex just stared at him for a long moment. "What are you waiting for?" She snapped. "If it's _lethal_, do something about it!"

"Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate." Say _what_? Alex just stared at him with her mouth slightly open out of disbelief. He said it was lethal – he _knew _that it was lethal, and yet he was just going to _leave them_?

"You can't just leave it." Martha winced as another spark lit up the room. "What's it going to do?"

He ignored the two humans – as if they didn't exist anymore. "All units withdraw." The Chief stomped out of the room with the unit following him. Martha yelled something at their retreating backs, but Alex had to ignore it.

She pressed a cheek to his lips, and she gasped when she felt just the barest hint of a breath. "Martha! Martha!" She almost gave herself whiplash for turning her head so quickly, but that wasn't important. "He's breathing! Martha, he's breathing, but just barely!" Martha rushed back into the room, and Alex was panicking. "What do we do? I don't even know. You're the doctor here, what do we do?"

"We have to give him CPR. It's the only thing that could help him." Martha explained quickly. "One of us is going to have to give him air and the other is going to have to press on his chest."

Alex raised her hand, "I'll do the chest thing." She positioned herself right where she believed his heart was – Martha pushed her hands over to the right a bit, and told her she was good. Martha then placed herself over the Doctor's mouth, opening it up enough before tilting his head back. "One, two, three, four, five…" Alex pumped his heart, and Martha took a deep breath and gave it to him. They took turns, going back and forth until something occurred to Alex. "Oh! Wait! I'm an idiot!" Martha looked up startled. "_Two _hearts! He's an alien that has two hearts!" She slid her hands over to where the second heart was – or at least she believed where it was. "Okay, one, two, three, four, five…" They went back and forth, and Alex made sure to give equal amounts of attention to both hearts.

Martha went down near the end, and Alex was just barely holding on. Her vision was going black, and she was having difficulties breathing. Her lungs ached inside of her chest, and it was hard to ignore. She ended up falling, but put her hands out so her face was just over the Doctor's. "Come on, Doctor…" She muttered. "_Come on_…" He was the only one who had any chance of saving them. "Oh hell…" She blushed – which just caused her brain to go nuts from the spinning. She took as deep a breath as her oxygen-starved lungs would allow, before leaning down and pressing her lips to his – her eyes shut tightly – and breathed as long into his mouth as she could.

She leaned away from him, and the Doctor gave a horrid cough. She slowly went over and landed on her side, next to him. She tried to move away from him, give him any kind of space, but her body was shutting down. "The…" She squinted as it became difficult to talk. "Scanner, Doctor… Did something to the scanner…" She tried to explain it to him with as little words as possible. She looked up at him as he slowly sat up. "Help…?" She sounded so weak that she barely recognized it as her voice. She closed her eyes, as her whole world went dark. "Please…" She pushed out just as she lost conciseness.

-x-

She felt someone shaking her, and she took a deep breath. Her brain felt so fuzzy that she was confused and disoriented. "No…" She tried to move away from that stupid insistent hand. "No, I want to sleep." Sleeping sound very good right about now. "Go away, Nan. I want to sleep." She wanted to get back to her dream. She wanted to see the Doctor again, ask him if she could come along with him. She wanted to have fun seeing the universe – instead of just watching it on the show.

There were sounds slowly coming to her, and she tried to shy away from them. Her head was pounding and she just wanted to _sleep _– stupid her for opening her bedroom window. She really needed to stop doing that. "Allie…" Strange, Nan never called her that… "Allie, wake up."

She whined and grumbled. "Fine." Her eyes fluttered opened and for a moment or two she was blinded by the light. She blinked a few times when a white ceiling came into view. "I'm not in my bedroom." She heard a laugh and slowly eased her head up to see the Doctor looking down at her. She blinked a few times, and had to reach up and poked his chin. His face crinkled up and she blinked a few more times. "Sorry, had to make sure you were real."

He slowly helped her back down to the floor and she looked around. She saw the view outside the window and her eyes widened. "Are we… We're back on Earth!" She spun towards the Doctor, and threw her arms out. "We did it!" The Doctor was grinning like a loon and the two of them hugged – he pretty much just lifted her up into the air. "Sweet! We were awesome together!"

They laughed until he finally put her down onto the ground. "Allie, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything." She said, knowing the truth behind it. Whatever the Doctor wanted, she would do her utmost best to give it to him.

"When they talk your statement –"

She cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say. "Don't mention you. I know, I promise I'll keep you a secret." He never wanted to be recognized and he certainly never wanted to be mention. She put her hands onto his shoulders, knowing what this was. "Thank you Doctor, for saving us. I hope you have fun up there, traveling the stars." She leaned him down so that she could portray how serious she was trying to be. "And seriously, can you at least _try _and keep yourself safe? We don't want the only thing keeping Earth safe dying, now do we?"

He smiled – but she saw it was laced with pain and almost sighed in sympathy for him. "I will try, Allie." She knew that was the best she was going to get. He would never promise it. He _couldn't _promise it, she knew.

She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back just as firmly. "It was really nice meeting you, Doctor." She said in a small voice, just barely muttering it into his ear.

He responded in the same volume. "It was very nice meeting you too, Allie." He smiled at her one last time before he departed. Alex ran her hands down her thighs as she watched him until he turned a corner, out of her sight. She looked around, a bit lost as to what to do next. Without the Doctor, she felt very small and out of place in the crowd of people. She heard someone calling her name, and turned to see that it was Martha.

"Martha!" She rushed over to her friend, hoping to gain back her sense of self. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Well," She threw an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I think the Doctor save us – well, clearly he did. I think the Judoon then put us back on Earth, 'cause they got what they came for. I just woke up like a few minutes before now, and the Doctor left…" She pointed off in the general direction he went. "So, that's about it."

"He just left?" Martha asked with some gloom. "Why?"

Alex shrugged. "He doesn't like to hang around for these kinds of things, I think. He just likes to disappear, go off onto the next thing he'll run into." She was as disappointed as Martha was, but she didn't want to let on. She figured she'd have to be the strong one. Martha looked like she had way more questions, but two emergency workers found them and guided them out of the hospital and towards an ambulance.

Alex took the offered masks and just closed her eyes and took deep breaths, letting the oxygen filled her pleased lungs. Oh, she was _never _going to take advantage of oxygen again, this she swore. She just lost herself in her thoughts, not exactly sure what she was going to do now. She couldn't go home, she didn't even know _how_ and the only man that possibly could know was gone. She felt a tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Martha wanted to go. She took the oxygen mask off and followed her, having nothing else to do.

"Martha! Alex!" Both women turned to see another black woman rush up towards her. It took Alex a _long _moment – long enough to be shameful, really – to realize that it was Tish, Martha's older sister. She was surprised when Tish went in for a hug but didn't deny it – she did always love hugs from anyone. Once Tish was done, she launched into a speedy commentary of what had happened the past couple of hours. "Oh, God! I thought you were dead! What happened? It was so weird, because the police wouldn't say, they didn't have a clue. And I tried phoning, but I couldn't get through. Mum's on her way, but she couldn't get through, they've closed off all the roads."

Alex heard most of what Tish was saying, but it was hard to keep up. She ended up just looking away and something blue caught her eye. She smiled in delight when she saw that it was the TARDIS – oh, how beautiful that ship was. Her heart stopped and she silently gasped when she saw the Doctor walking towards his beloved girl. He smiled and waved, and Alex bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely and lifted her hand just enough for him to see, and waved her fingers.

A truck passed, cutting off her view for only a few seconds, but her happiness disappeared when she saw both the TARDIS and the Doctor had disappeared in that time frame. That same feeling of being out of place came back with a vengeance. She looked around, as if to suddenly find a properly familiar face that would give her comfort, but no one was around. She didn't know any of these people. The Doctor was really the only person that she _knew _– sure, it was from a television show, but it was better than the others around her.

She looked back at where the TARDIS had been, and just caught the last sounds of the engines before even that left her too. Her shoulders sagged and she looked away, down at the ground, left by herself again…

-x-

"Martha!" Alex whined. "Will you hurry up? Even _I _didn't take this long to get ready." She had been looking up what exactly she was wearing for a top, and finally found the item – at a whopping 40 dollars. Geez, Alex thought. It was a blue multi-colored long sleeved pull over sweater, with ribbed hem and a cowl neck. Apparently it was from a clothing line called PattyBoutik. It was really pretty actually, especially with her hair and it was just so _soft_. She wasn't sure what the material was exactly, but she was nice and cozy in it. She couldn't help but snuggle up to the shirt, wanting to purr like a cat.

She couldn't help but love her outfit, because with that lovely sweater she had some dark wash jeans on and some gray pointed toe wedge heels with side buckles. She loved heels, and always liked wedged heels better since they were surprisingly more comfortable than stilettos – good lord, while those were nice and sexy, those would _kill _your feet in no time. She had some beautiful sterling silver twisted spiral earrings with diamond cut that she found and just instantly fell in love with. Her makeup was perfect. She made sure that her eye shadow wasn't too dark, considering the fact that her ice eyes didn't need much help at popping out. She had a nice light pink dusting across the apples of her cheeks, and with lady bug red as her lipstick color, everything was pulled together to make her outfit beautiful.

If she could say so herself, she was pretty damn sexy. It made her feel good, confident in her looks. She didn't dress up and put on makeup for a guy. Nah, she did it for herself – to make herself feel beautiful.

She had come over a few hours ago, and Martha and she had been talking the whole time. The doctor-in-training couldn't quite get her mind wrapped around what was going on. So, they had talked for a long time about all sorts of things. Alex tried to explain it the best she could, trying to remember what the Doctor had said to her and put it into words that would make sense. Martha seemed to understand, and Alex was grateful. After that, they just talked, they got to know each other again and it turned out that they had a lot in common. They were quickly becoming fast friends, and that made Alex feel better. She needed at least one friend in this weird world that apparently was now to be her own.

"I'm almost done." Martha laughed as she put the finishing touches on her mascara. They had the radio on in the background – tuned into some station talking about the events at the hospital – but neither of them was really listening.

"You said that like _an hour _ago!" Alex complained, as she fell onto her friend's bed and planted her face into the nice blankets. "This is really soft." She said, her voice muffled, before she rolled over and spread herself out on the bed, looking over at the woman upside down. She giggled. "You look really weird upside down." She saw Martha roll her eyes, but she was smiling. Or was she? Was she frowning? Alex couldn't tell, it was hard to decide from this angle. "If you're not done in the next…" She stalled and looked over to see when they should leave to get the Leo's party in time. "If you're not done in the next half an hour, then I'm going off without you."

"But then you'll get lost!" Martha protested.

"And it will be your fault." Alex replied calmly. "If get end up getting lost, and then being kidnapped and murdered – you will have no one to blame but yourself." Alex grinned and Martha just laughed.

"Fine, fine, I'm doing my best."

-x-

Martha was being truthful, and after another ten minutes or so she was finally done and they were able to go off and to the bar. A banner hung across the entrance, _Happy Birthday Leo_! Alex smiled, but paused when she saw Martha had a look on her face that was similar to a person going off into battle. Alex looked back at the door and sighed. "It's going to be bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Martha nodded her head. "Dad's bringing along his girlfriend and Mum's not too happy about that."

"Oh boy…" Martha didn't even need to say all that much, and it was already sounding like a bad idea. "This is going to be rough." Martha and Alex held onto each other for support, and glanced at the other before taking a deep breath and walking into the bar.

-x-

It took no less than a couple of hours before Annalise went storming out of the bar, having enough of Francine's attitude. "I am not staying in there to be insulted!" The blonde woman growled. Clive was rushing after her, doing everything he could to fix the problem.

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart." Clive tried to soothe. "She just said you look healthy."

Not that Francine was being much help, she wasn't about to stand there and have her ex-husband try and soothe things over. "No, I did not. I said orange." Alex had exited the bar with the three Jones children and was just watching with exasperation. Did they have to this _today_ of all days? It was Leo's birthday! Could they not put aside their differences at least for a few hours? 21st birthday was a big day that couldn't come around again, and they really needed to act like _adults_.

"Clive, that woman is disrespecting me. She's never liked me." Or not, Alex thought with a roll of her eyes, you could continue to act like _children_.

"Oh, I can't possibly imagine why, after you stole my husband!" Francine bit back. Yep, Alex shook her head. Children, that's what the three of them were. They were _children_. It was ridiculous.

She turned to Leo – who she had been having a great conversation with when the agreement happened. He had been nice, trying to help her understand football. "I am _so _sorry about this, Leo. They really should know better." She patted his shoulder sympathetically. He sort of just sighed.

"Thanks Alex." At least one person cared that it was his birthday.

Back with the three toddlers, Annalise was quick to defend herself. "I was seduced. I'm entirely innocent! Tell her, Clive!" Yes, because that's supposed to make _everything_ better, isn't it? While she wasn't necessarily on Francine's side – she never liked to fight with anyone. She certainly didn't like Annalise – that lady just gave a bad name to all women.

Francine apparently wasn't done with the list of things that she didn't approve of. "And then she has to go at Martha and Alex, practically accused them of making the whole thing up."

Alex jumped in at the chance to try and bring things back to what was important – _Leo's birthday_. "Mrs. Jones! It's okay! See," she gestured to the two of them. "We're fine with it, it doesn't matter, does it, Martha?" She turned to look at her friend. "It's okay, right? We're fine with it."

Martha caught on quickly. "Exactly Mum. We don't mind. Just leave it."

With horrible luck, none of them seemed to hear the young women. "Oh. 'I've been to the moon'. As if." Alex leaned her head back and looked towards the sky, silently praying for a deity to come and help her out with this. She was about ready to just give up. "They were drugged. It said so on the news."

Francine never seemed to run out of verbal ammo. There was a part of Alex that swore she never wanted to get on Francine's bad side. It seemed like you could never win against her. "Since when did you watch the news? You can't handle _Quiz Mania_."

"Annalise started it. She did. I heard her." Alex slowly looked over to Tish, and glared at the girl. _That _was not helping anyone.

Leo was on her side, thankfully. "Tish, don't make it worse."

Even Tish wouldn't back down – seems like it runs in the family, Alex thought with some despair. "You're talking, Leo. What did she buy you, soap? A seventy-five pence soap?"

Alex put her foot down before it could get too far. "Enough of that, both of you, okay!" She glared at the two of them. "We've already got _them _fighting," she threw out a hand towards the bickering so-called adults. "That's bad enough. We _really _don't need you two fighting as well!"

Alex wasn't entirely sure what happened. All she knew was that the group broke off after a few more insults were thrown. Annalise went first, and Clive was quick to rush after her – like a puppy, and it was kind of sad, she had to admit. Leo went after his dad. With one final insult towards her ex-husband, Francine went off in a different direction. Tish had to go after her.

"I give up." Alex said, speaking up into the sky. "I just give up. I don't know how we got to this, but this is just stupid – and I give up." She had this urge to just hit her head on the wall of the bar. She saw no point in going back there, so she turned her weary head to Martha. "How about we go home?" She was tired. She wanted to get some popcorn, plop down on that nice couch, and watch a movie.

"I think I have a better idea." She didn't even know what her friend was talking about until she followed her finger and gasped in delight when she saw the Doctor. All signs of exhaustion left her as her head snapped up and she looked joyously at the alien.

"Doctor!" She called to him. "Hey!" She waved her hand, happy to see him. He smiled at them, and he waved before taking a step back and into the alley behind him. Alex didn't even think about it, she didn't even look at Martha as she took off after the Doctor. "Come on, Martha!" They turned down the alleyway, and quickly walked down there until they turned again. Alex smiled in delight when she saw the Doctor leaning up against the TARDIS.

"I went to the moon today." Martha said. Alex skipped – or as much as she could in heels – and paused at the TARDIS. She sighed happily, oh she loved this ship just as much as she loved the Doctor. She ran her hand down the worn wood. It was smooth to her touch, not a splinter anywhere. It was warm, too. She turned and leaned against the ship, linking her arms together behind her back.

"Bit more peaceful than down here." The Doctor commented.

"That is a true understatement." Alex sighed and leaned her head back and bumped against the doors. "A _serious _understatement." His smile told her that he saw the whole thing. She glared at him a bit, annoyed that he would take enjoyment out of her misery.

"You never told me who you were." She had already explained it to Martha about the show and how she knew most things – not a lot though, considering her terrible memory.

"The Doctor." He replied. _Remember that name, Martha_. Alex thought, because it was the name to a man that you will never forget.

"What sort of species?"

Alex laughed. "Bet you didn't think you'd ever ask that question when you woke up this morning." The Doctor laughed with her.

"I'm a Time Lord." She felt a shiver run down her spine. The Time Lords, what an amazing race, she thought. It would've been so awesome to be a Time Lord. Well, up until the Time War.

"Right…" Martha was quick to tease. "Not pompous at all, then." Alex giggled. It was a _bit _arrogant to call yourselves the Lord of all _time_.

The Doctor smiled. "I just thought since you both saved my life and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver." He pulled it out from his coat pocket.

"See!" Alex laughed. "I was right. You could get a new one. I'm glad, you were so heartbroken."

"I love my sonic screwdriver." He repeated. She just smiled teasingly at him. "_As I was saying_," Alex held up her hands and backed off. "I just got a brand new sonic screwdriver that needs road testing, you might fancy a trip."

"Yes!" She raised her fists into the air. "Outer-space road trip! Time and Space! That has to be the best road trip I have ever heard about! Let's do it!" Oh, that idea was just so exciting – she was getting all tingly just thinking about it. She was _so _ready. The Doctor smiled, happy that one of them was onboard.

Martha was a bit more hesitant than her friend was. "What, in space?"

"Well…" The Doctor shrugged. More like time _and _space, Alex though with excitement.

"_We _can't." Alex looked back over to her friend whining like a child. Why couldn't they? "We've got exams. I've got things to do – and I know you do too, Alex. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, and Alex's is coming up too, I've got my family going mad…"

The Doctor stopped her before she could worry about anything more. "If it helps, I can travel in time, as well."

Martha refused to believe it. Even with everything that's happened, she still believe that _some things _weren't possible. "Get out of here." She said flatly.

"No, seriously Martha he can." Alex laughed. "_Seriously_."

"Come on now," Martha was not amused by the American's teasing. "That is going too far."

"I'll prove it." He gently nudged Alex away so that he could enter the ship. Alex watched with a grin as the TARDIS disappeared with the grinding of engines. Martha was just stunned, she watched her friend walk over to where the ship had just been – waving her hand around as if to touch it again. When the wind picked back up, and the noises reappeared, Martha backed up into some trashcans as Alex laughed. The Doctor peeked out once the ship had finished rematerialized and held his tie up as proof. "Told you."

"Oh so it _was _you!" Alex said. "I knew it! I knew it was you, but I couldn't _say _that obviously, so I had to pretend I thought it was a brother or something! I knew it was you doing time travel!"

"But…" Martha couldn't get the words out for a minute. "That was this morning! But – Did you…" She finally understood. "Oh my God! You can travel in time!"

The Doctor tried his best to put on his tie, and Alex rolled his eyes at his horrible attempt. "Doctor, here let me…" She walked over to him and fixed it. "You are horrible with this, look at this! You messed up your suit and jacket! And it's crooked!" She looked up at him exasperated. "It's miracle you can dress yourself in the morning." Alex missed the startled look he had when she came so close to him.

Martha seemed to realize something as she messed around with his tie to fix it. "But hold on, if you could see us this morning, why didn't you tell us not to go in to work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden." The Doctor said sternly, and Alex smiled in triumph when she got his tie perfect.

"Unless you have a cheap trick that's not even really a _trick_, since all you did was take off your tie without undoing it."

"That's a trick." The Doctor defended.

Alex gave him a look. "Any man that I know could do that."

"Exactly, it's an _easy _trick to know. But a trick." Alex smiled and rolled her eyes, admitting defeat.

"And that's your spaceship?" Martha got the attention back to her as she walked up to the wooden box.

"Yes it is!" Alex gave her a fond pat. "She's called the TARDIS – that stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Be nice to her," Alex waggled a finger at the Black British woman. "She's a good ship, and is going to do a lot for us, so try and be nice and give your thanks to her." She looked to the Doctor, and he gave her a nod, delighted that at least someone he's come across is respectful to his ship.

"_She's _made of wood, Alex." Only on the outside, Alex wanted to respond. "There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate." Was it just her or was Martha's tone a little flirty?

The Doctor seemed completely oblivious as he opened the doors. "Take a look." Alex didn't need to be told twice. She shot right through the doors and up to the console. Her eyes lit up as she smiled brightly. Oh, she was _beautiful_. Alex spun around in circles, taking in as many angles as she could. She kept leaning against the railing, to look up at the floors above them.

"Oh beautiful!" She was cooing. "So beautiful. I love it! Oh, TARDIS, you are just _stunning_! Best ship I've ever seen!" She pressed her hands to the console, feeling the warmth radiate into her hands. "Just stunning. Bigger on the inside doesn't even cover it." She whirled around and leaned back to try and see if she could see the top. "_Massive _on the inside is much more appropriate. I could stack the Empire State building on top of itself and there _still _would be plenty of room." She patted the console, "That's a compliment, if you didn't know. Seriously, that makes you the best ship in the world."

She walked back over to the railing near the doors where the Doctor was. She smiled at him as she leaned against the rail opposite of him. Martha went back and forth between the entrance of the ship and outside. She was tapping her feet waiting for Martha to get inside so that they could go. "You're impatient." The Doctor said with a chuckle.

"All of time and space, Doctor." She matched his grin. "That's a lot to cover – we're going to need to start as quickly as possible if we want a chance to cover as much as we could." The Doctor's smile diminished just a bit but Alex missed it. "I don't even know where I would want to begin. Oh!" She raised her hand – although there was no need, since Martha was still outside. "Can we go see Martin Luther King Jr.? I'm thinking specifically the Lincoln Memorial. You know, on the steps where he did the 'I Have A Dream' speech. Oh," She sighed. "I do love that speech, it's just so _incredible_."

She clasped her hands together and looked earnestly at the alien. He smiled. "I don't see why not. I'll take you there." Alex cheered. Now, she was satisfied.

Martha came rushing back in and paused to take a proper look inside. "It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside."

Both Alex and the Doctor mouthed that line to themselves, and Alex winked at the Doctor. He chuckled and closed the doors, speaking as he did so. "Is it? I hadn't noticed." He chucked his jacket onto one of the support beams. "Alright, then, let's get going."

Alex walked around the console. She ran her fingers across all the little nobs and levers and switches and by the time she got up to the Doctor's side she was bewildered. "How do you drive her?" She asked. "I mean, how do you remember what buttons to press and levers to switch and everything?"

He shrugged, "I just do." He replied as if it was nothing. It probably was nothing to him, with that wild amazing Time Lord brain. Alex just shook her head, and moved around him, peeking her head over his shoulder for a minute to watch what he was doing before moving on.

"But is there a crew?" Martha wondered aloud. "Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everybody?"

"Just me." The Doctor murmured. Alex leaned against the console again, and sighed deeply. She didn't say anything as she just looked out at one of the walls of the TARDIS.

"All on your own?" Not always, Alex thought but blinked a few times feeling the tears come to her eyes. She rubbed them away with the back of her hand, irritated that she could be so emotional sometimes.

"Well, sometimes I have guests. I mean some friends, travelling alongside." The Doctor tried to pass it off as if it was nothing. "I had – there was recently a friend of mine. Rose," the moment he said her name Alex felt her heart constrict. She had to remind herself to breathe. "Her name was Rose. And… we were together. Anyway." He moved away from Martha and towards Alex. He peeked an eye over and saw that she had hers closed and looked like she was genuinely in pain. He became fascinated. Did she know what happened to Rose? Even if she did, it still shouldn't have created that look – it shouldn't have given her so much pain. It hadn't happened to her.

She opened her eyes, and as if she sensed him she turned and their eyes locked together. He could see it all. Everything became crystal clear once he got a good look into those ice blue pools. Empathy, he thought almost mystified. Boundless amounts of empathy overflowed in her eyes. He had never seen such a level of it before – and especially not so _clearly_. Her emotions were all right there in her eyes. It wasn't hard at all to know what was going on in her head.

They answered his question. Yes, she did know what happened to Rose. Even more bewildering was the fact that yes, she was indeed in pain over what happened – even if it hadn't happened _to _her, her emotions were just as strong as if she had been there. Alex looked away first, unable to stand looking at the deep swirls of brown anymore. It was nerve racking, she swore that they could see into her very soul. "Where is she now?" The Doctor looked back towards Martha. He had been so focused on Alex that he completely forgotten that Martha was there.

As her question registered in his mind, he became evasive. "With her family. Happy. She's fine. Not that you're replacing her." No one could ever replace Rose. Especially not them.

"Never said I was." That was a good enough answer for him.

He turned towards the more curious human. She was looking at him, and he felt bare. He blinked a few times, caught off guard by the stare. Her eyes were so sad and lonely, that he felt a vague sense of protection towards her. He wanted her to smile. Like she had done when she had seen him across the road from that bar. He wanted that smile across her face as he protected her from whatever demons plagued her mind. "Not that either of you are replacing her." He wanted to be stern with her, but it ended up just coming out softly. He couldn't be stern with her, not with that look on her face.

Alex couldn't even try and argue with that. "I would never think of it." She spoke honestly. She knew how much the Doctor loved Rose, knew how much she meant to him. She wouldn't even dream of coming between that connection. She saw the Doctor look away, and was surprised that he looked almost uncomfortable. She couldn't figure out _why_, she hadn't done anything except look at him.

"Just one trip to say 'thanks'." The Doctor continued on. "You get one trip, then back home. I'd rather be on my own."

Alex rolled her eyes, and looked over to see that the console was in between Martha's sight of them. She leaned over and scoffed so only the Doctor could hear. He looked up at her, "As if, Doctor. You and I both know that's as far from the truth as it could be." He wanted to be around people – hell, he _needed _to be around them. They kept him in line and they made him happy. He was no good on his own, and he certainly didn't like to be either.

The Doctor opened his mouth, maybe to deny it Alex didn't know, "You're the one who kissed me." He couldn't when Martha interrupted them. The Doctor's full attention went to her.

"_That_ was a genetic transfer." He corrected hotly.

She snorted, and this time let herself be heard by her friend. "Call it what you want Doctor, but we humans know what a kiss is – and _that_," she mocked his tone, "was a kiss." At least she didn't get one to the lips, Alex thought. She got a nice sweet one on the forehead. "And I liked mine. A kiss on the forehead." She smiled at him. "That was sweet."

"Oh stop it." The Doctor said to her teasing and she just laughed.

"And if you will wear a tight suit…" And it was indeed a finely cut suit. Fitted him so _well_, Alex thought with some glee as she ran her eyes down his shape.

"Now… don't!"

They weren't done with him yet. "And, let's not forget the fact that it's such a romantic thing to do when you travel all the way across the universe just to ask us on a _date_, Doctor." She teased. "Admit it, dear, this is a date~!" She said in a sing song.

He leaned over and caught her eye. "Stop it." He looked over to Martha, and shot her a look too.

"For the record? I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans." The Doctor was happy about that.

"Good." He turned to Alex. "Allie, what about you?"

"Well, I can't say I'm not _interested _'cause that would be a lie. And we're now friends, Doctor." She playfully punched him in the arm – not too hard, she didn't want to hurt him. He just raised an eyebrow and she smiled up at him. "I'm not interested in that kind of thing though. Anyways, even if I was into that with you, oh please we just met!" She could see he didn't get it. "My parents raised me under the rule of friends first. You become friends with them for a while – get to know them real well and such. Ya know, all that stuff. Once you're really familiar with the person, _then _you can decide whether you want to take a go at a relationship or not."

He thought about that. "Good rule." She smiled, but as he passed Alex, her smile slowly diminished. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. _Mom and Dad_… She felt her lip tremble and tried to hold it in. "Well then, close down the gravitic anomalizer." She opened her eyes and watched him as he went through the steps to start up the TARDIS. "Fire up the helmic regulator. And finally – the hand brake." He held his hand on the last lever and turned towards them. "Ready?"

"I was _born _ready for this!" Alex said confidently.

Martha wasn't as positive. "No."

He grinned at them. "Off we go." He pulled the lever and the TARDIS came to life, throwing them back and forth and around the console. Martha mentioned something about the ride being bumpy, but Alex was having too much of a grand time to really care. She was laughing with glee, reminded of a roller coaster. She saw a hand come across her view and looked over to the Doctor. "Welcome aboard, Miss. Harper."

She grasped his hand and gave him a good shake before the TARDIS threw them away for a second and back to the console. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Doctor!" With the shaking of the ship and the grind of the engines that was the beginning of it. That was just the beginning of Alex Harper traveling with the Doctor.

Stay tuned – it gets even better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Has not been looked over. All mistakes are my own.**

Alex was having so much fun. Sure, she was starting to get a little dizzy, but she could ignore that. She couldn't believe it, really. Here she was in one of her favorite television shows – _Doctor Who _– with the Doctor himself, and her good friend Martha of course, and they were traveling throughout time and space.

Oh yeah, she could definitely ignore the dizziness by the sheer awesome nature of everything else. Martha, the practical and logical one of the two of them, was still trying to understand it. "But _how _do you travel in time? What makes it go?"

"Oh, let's just take the fun and mystery out of everything." The Doctor's first response was sarcasm. Alex giggled, knowing they wouldn't be able to hear over the engines. She was impressed with his skills of sarcasm. He gave her a more serious answer. "Martha, you don't want to know. It just does." More than likely it would make her head spin, and she really didn't want to add to it. She knew she wouldn't understand either. She never was a smart enough cookie to understand the rules of how sci-fi shows worked, and was more one of the viewers that just nodded her head. If you say that it works or that it doesn't work, then okay. I'll take your word for it.

She supposed that in this case, it was a good thing she had the Doctor with her. If he said if worked or didn't, she'd take his judgment far above her own. The Doctor threw a leg out and pretty much just climbed onto the console. "Are you sure about that, Doctor?" She called to him. "What if the TARDIS doesn't like it?" Although, she couldn't see how. The Doctor was _gorgeous_, if Alex was the ship, she wouldn't see _any _problems with having him climb _all _over her. "Don't break anything! We don't want to hurt her!"

"Give me some credit, Allie!" The Doctor replied, as he messed around with some buttons. "I've done this a million times! It's fine!" Well alright, if he said so. "Hold on tight!" Alex ended up landing roughly on the console as well and grunted as the impact that winded her. She flailed a bit and gripped onto whatever she could grab on the console and murmured an apology. With a sudden and final jerk, the ship landed.

Martha is knocked to the floor and onto her back. Alex landed on her ass, and winced as she rubbed it, knowing that it was going to be sore. The Doctor – damn him – was the luckiest of them all, having ended up just landing on the seat. "How come you ended there?" She grumbled. "That couldn't have hurt at all."

"Maybe she loves me best." He was teasing.

She rolled her eyes, "Of course _she _loves _you_! How could she not?" With everything that the Doctor has been through, the only constant was the TARDIS. "There is never going to be anyone else for you, Doctor. You should marry her." The Doctor threw her a pout over the chair and she just grinned.

"Blimey." Martha said as she picked herself up. "Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes, and I failed it." Why was she not surprised? He rushed over to get his coat, speeding through his words as he did. "Now, make the most of it." He tossed Martha her coat, as Alex joined her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and she was already starting to breathe quickly. She was trying to stop herself from shaking with excitement, but she could feel it already starting in her hands.

Oh, this was just so _electrifying_! She was trying not to move around so much – a trait she had whenever she got too hyper. She was rocking on her feet just a tad bit, just enough to try and give an outlet to this sudden burst of energy. "Can we go _now_?" Alex asked ever so impatient.

He was grinning. "Give me a minute to finish, alright? You get one trip and one trip only." Ha, don't make her laugh. That was just ludicrous. Knowing him, he'd just end up telling them that over and over again, to make himself feel better as he took them around time and space. Which she was _totally _fine with, by the way. "Outside this door..." He pressed his back against it and faced them. "Brave new world."

"Where are we?" Martha asked, starting to feed off Alex's never ending energy.

"Take a look." He opened the doors for them – like a gentlemen, and Alex was pleased with this. "After you."

"Come on, Martha!" Alex squealed with joy as she took her friend's hand and practically dragged the woman out the doors. She only took a step out the doors before freezing, and looked around with big wide eyes – trying to make sure that she took in as much detail as she could. They were in the past – that much was obvious. It looked like they were in maybe medieval England or something to that extent. Her smile grew more and more as she took a look at all of these people – people that were a part of _history_. Oh, that was just her favorite thing ever!

"Oh, you are kidding me." Martha was saying. Alex didn't even think about it too much. She grasped onto the Doctor's arm, and every time she saw something new that caught her interests she would tug like a child would with their mother. She missed the Doctor's grin. "You are _so _kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we?" Martha realized her mistake. "No, sorry. I gotta get use to this, whole new language. _When _are we?"

"Elizabethan England!" Alex threw out. "Is that right? I have to be right. Oh..."She tugged on his arm a few times in one go. "This is so exciting!" Her voice went up until she was whispering in a high-pitched tone.

"Mind the loo!"

Say what? Alex turned, confused as to where that voice was coming from. Thankfully, the Doctor did know and grabbed the two women to pull them back as a man from one of the high windows dumped out the contents of a bucket. Alex scrunched up her nose, and turned away – disgusted by the sight. She's had dogs and cats before in the past, sure, but that doesn't mean that she'd ever like seeing something like... _that_. She just breathed through her mouth, like she learned how to do with her pets and kept her eyes away from the mess.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." The Doctor said.

"I've seen worse." Martha passed it off. "I've work late night shift at A&E."

"Dogs and cats..." Alex just shrugged. "Grew up with them. You just learn to get use to it and breathe through your mouth." The Doctor started to walk away, and Alex kept a tight hold on his jacket sleeve, following him without any thoughts. "Anyways, going to take _a whole boat load more _to deter me from enjoying all of this!" She threw out her free hand to gesture to everything around her.

"Oh, that's the spirit, Allie!" The Doctor ended up linking arms with her. They grinned at each other.

Martha had more concerns though. "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

Both of them looked back at her, confused. "Of course you can." The Doctor didn't understand where that line of questioning came from. "Why do you ask?"

Martha gave them a look as if to say that it should have been obvious. "It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly; you change the future of the human race." Both brunets looked at each other and Alex couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies." The Doctor answered, having as much fun as Alex was. "What have butterflies ever done to you?" They were harmless and pretty. Why would you even think of harming them in the first place?

"Shocking news," Alex said in a dramatic voice. "The media has lied to us – _again_." She turned to Martha with a smile. "Come on, girl. You should know by now that the media stretches the truth all the time. It's called artistic license. They need it to be dramatic, or else you wouldn't watch it."

Alex quickly could see that Martha was just always going to be a worrier. She seemed to have trouble just letting it go and enjoying the moment. "Oh! Look!" She got distracted and tugged on the Doctor's arm. "That's cool!" She gave a thumbs up to the guy that she had been talking about. He clearly didn't understand the meaning, and just sort of awkwardly waved but Alex was polite and waved back.

"What if, I dunno, I kill my grandfather?" Martha was having trouble keeping up with them, and Alex blamed the Doctor's stupidly long legs. No one should have legs _that _long – it should be illegal.

"You planning to?" He asked as he turned to walk backwards, watching Martha as he did.

"Ooh, look at you with all of that skill." He raised an eyebrow. "I could never walk backwards. I'd just fall on my ass and make a fool of myself." She had to add an afterthought, "it would be funny to see though, I'm sure." Hey, she could be a good sport and laugh at herself.

"Of course I wouldn't plan to!" Martha answered his question.

"Well, then."

"Come on, Martha!" Alex had enough. "Just enjoy the moment and take a deep breath of Elizabethan England." She then turned to the alien at hand to add, "and if you don't correct me right now I will officially have this area label that in my brain."

"You're good." Oh, sweet she really _had _been right about it. Alex gave herself a little mental high-five. "Right about 1599, to be exact."

Even with Alex's insisting, Martha's worrying popped up again. "Oh, but hold on. Am I alright? I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

Alex had to laugh at the fact that the Doctor became genuinely confused again. "Why would they do that?"

"Doctor, she's _black_ – ya know, not white." He stared at her for a moment and then seemed to take a proper look at Martha again. "Does color just not occur to you?"

He shrugged. "Too old to really pay attention anymore." She could sigh only wistfully. She _wished _there were more men that existed like him – even in her time. "I'm not even human, anyways. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your time." Alex looked around, and furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't see any similarities. "Look over there." She looked back at the Doctor and saw him pointing off to their right. Okay, guy scooping up some manure to put it into a bucket.

"Oh, I would _not _want to be that guy..." She muttered under her breath.

"They've got recycling." They continued on and passed two men chatting pleasantly over a barrel of water. "Water cooler moment." Further still, a man was going on about how 'the Earth will be consumed by flames'. "Global warming." Alex tried to stop herself from laughing when she saw the man's face freeze. Global warming, a natural occurrence that Alex believed was happening. While granted, we weren't _helping_, it was probably just the Earth's nature cycles. We had an ice age, and now we're having a warm period.

"Oh, yes, and… entertainment!" He seemed to get more excited this time as he looked around properly to see where he was. Alex looked around too, but she was just looking around for fun – she wasn't even sure what _he _was looking for. "Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river from Southwark…" The Doctor took off with Martha in tow.

Alex paused for a minute, still enjoying the peace and feel of the people. She hadn't even noticed that the Doctor was gone. She turned around and almost ran into his chest. "Oh, hi… Why'd you stop?"

He blinked once. "Allie, you were supposed to follow."

"Follow?" She looked up at him genuinely bewildered. "Did you go somewhere?" He just stared at her, and she felt like she had to defend herself. "Hey, I got caught up in Elizabethan England, okay? That's not a bad thing."

"Of course not." He took her hand and guided her over to where Martha was waiting. "As I was saying, The Globe Theatre!" Alex just squealed and clasped her hand onto his arm. There it was, in its original form – how it actually looked, and not a replica. "Brand new. Just opened." Oh, that was even _better_! They got to see it as fresh as they possibly could. "Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetra decagon – 14 sides – containing the man himself."

She could feel him looking at her and turned. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up when she saw the look on his face. "Oh." She shook her head, as if in disbelief. "No way. You mean…" She blinked a few times to get it clear in her head. "You mean to say that _Shakespeare _is in there?" When he nodded her head, her mouth dropped and a huge smile appeared on her face. "_No_!"

"Oh yes." He was clearly feeding off of her excitement.

She snatched up his arm, not even waiting for him to ask her. "What are we waiting for, Doctor?"

He grinned and turned back to Martha. "Miss Jones, will you accompany me and Miss Harper to the theatre?"

Martha linked with his arm without hesitation. She was just as excited as they were – just maybe not as obvious. "Yes, Mr. Smith, I will."

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." The Doctor added conversationally. Alex rolled her eyes, as if anyone would believe them. People would probably think they were insane and needed medication or something.

"Then we can get sectioned!" Martha responded sarcastically, on the same thoughts as Alex.

"Doesn't matter!" Alex threw up her free hand. "_We'll _know that we did actually see Shakespeare!" She pressed her cheek to the Doctor's arm. "Oh, this is just so excited!"

"That shaking is from the excitement?"

Alex was touched that he sounded concerned. "Oh yeah," She nodded her head, nuzzling affectionately, not even aware that she was doing it. She was a demonstrative person and a lot of times just needed to be – in order to be happy. Thankfully, the Doctor didn't seem to mind. "I get all gittery whenever I'm excited. I could never quite control it." She could feel herself vibrating and it was a bit distracting.

-x-

The play was fantastic. Amazing. Astonishing. Whimsical. Wonderful. Awesome. Alex could go on and on about it forever, but she wouldn't have the time. She was clapping as hard as she could, giving everything she had until her hands were red. Her palms were tingling with pain, but she ignored it – this play deserved her ovation at the _least_. She was jumping up and down, cheering for the cast. She really was only jumping so that she could see them – how irritating it is to be _small_.

"That's amazing!" Martha was just as merry as Alex was. "Just amazing. It's worth putting put with the smell." _Definitely_. This was Shakespeare _in real life_ – right before her eyes. This whole place could smell like a toxic waste dump, and she'd still watch the play.

She did have to ask, and tugged on the Doctor's arm so he could lean down to hear her. "Men dress as women, I take it?" She wasn't even really surprised – although in some places it could get confusing. A man dressed as a woman who's cross dressing as a man. It was quirky, she had to admit, but that was London back in the 1590s.

"London never changes." The Doctor commented, and Alex laughed. She nodded her head, agreeing with him as they continued to applaud.

"Where's Shakespeare?" Martha was impatient to see the very man that was the legend to beat all legends in the history of theatre. "I wanna see Shakespeare." She raised her fist and started to chant, "Author! Author!" She paused when the Doctor and Alex looked at her, and she realized it might not be appropriate given the time period. "Do people shout that? Do they shout 'author'?"

Her answer was given when a man next to her picked up on her chant. Within no time at all, everyone in the theatre was chanting out 'author'. Alex laughed as she watched everyone shout it. "Well…" The Doctor looked around. "They do now."

"Awesome Martha, you started a trend!" Alex giggled and gave her some approval. The crowd went wild, and the American looked up at the stage to see that the man himself had come out to greet his admirers. She paused and titled her head, not expecting a young man with long brown hair and a full on beard to come out. "He's…" She tried to think of word that fit what she was feeling. "He's a bit different looking."

"He's a bit different to his portraits." Martha commented, and Alex felt that was more appropriate.

"Genius." The Doctor said, delight overflowing in every word. Clearly, Alex thought, they found the person that Ten was a fanboy of. "He's a genius – _the _genius. The most human Human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak." Well, it shouldn't be too surprising. David Tennant _was _a theatre boy – so that's probably why they let Ten be this way. "Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words."

Alex raised her eyebrows in anticipation. "Shut your big fat mouths!" And, that would be the sound of her expectations dropping. She lowered her head, and pursued her lips. Well, okay, that hadn't been exactly what she had imagined.

She looked over to the Doctor and patting him on the shoulder and cooed in her head. Oh, the poor baby Time Lord looked so crestfallen. She wanted to give him a hug. "Oh, well." He muttered. There clearly went his delight as well.

"You should never meet your heroes." Martha told him, and Alex felt that she had to say something to make him feel better.

"That's not true," she tried, "if that were true then I should never met the Doctor – and he's amazing, even _better _than I could have hoped for."

He turned to her. "Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

She looked away, "No." She looked back at him, and she knew she wouldn't be able to lie to him – not that she was great about it in the first place. "Sorta. I mean, I _am _telling the truth, but I'm telling you so you feel better." She blinked a few times, "if that makes any sense."

He just smiled and patted her hand, and she knew that he understood. "You have excellent tastes! I'll give you that. Oh, that's a wig!" The audience cheered and laughed as he pointed to a man in the middle. Alex tried to get a look at who he was talking about, but she couldn't see past anyone's shoulders – oh it was frustrating. She gave up, and listened as Shakespeare continued on. "I know what you're all saying. 'Loves Labour's Lost', that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon." The audience immediately picked up, hollering and yelling out 'when'. Shakespeare refused to budge. "Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius."

Then the strangest thing happened. Alex's head perked up when she saw that once the play write had bowed, he jerked back up as if something had pushed at him. He looked startled for a second, and Alex tried to get a better look at the stage. What the hell was that? However, his look disappeared, as if he no longer remembered being jerked. "When? Tomorrow night." As the brunette was looking around the stage, she saw that the two main actors looked at each other startled by his announcement. She paused at their looks and became concerned. If they were so startled, then that meant that the original air date for the play wasn't supposed to be so soon. "The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it 'Loves Labour's Won'!"

So why would Shakespeare announce it like that on the fly? Did it have anything to do with that bizarre jolt before? She turned, and had to ask – had to at least mention it. "Doctor…" He turned to her. "I…" She bit her lip, and didn't want to trouble him, but she thought better of it. She had to say something – there was just _something _in her gut telling her that it was wrong. It wasn't her imagination, something was wrong. "Did you see that weird jerk he did after he bowed? He looked startled for a moment, but then acted as if nothing happened… And then…" She stuttered over her words, a bit worried by the Doctor's eyes. She didn't want to seem stupid to him. "And then, when Shakespeare announced that the play was tomorrow night. I saw the lead actors look at each other – I don't think the play is supposed to be tomorrow."

He continued to stare at her, and she could feel her heart in her throat. "It's nothing, Allie. You're reading into it," her heart did a U-turn and plummeted at high speeds into her stomach.

She felt her eyes drop. "Oh. Sorry." She turned away from him and crossed her arms. She knew that she was probably over reacting, but she didn't want the Doctor to think she was dumb or anything. She didn't want him to think she was _brilliant_, sure – he was the only one that could really take that title. Just a little smart, that was what she had been going for. Now, he probably thought the opposite and her throat closed up for a few seconds.

Just as everyone was moving slowly towards the exit, Alex dabbed the back of her hand to her eyes and shook her head. Stupid, she told herself, stop being so overemotional. It's not his fault. You were probably just reading too much into it. "Allie," She turned towards him, and saw that he was leaning over to get a good look at her.

"Sorry, didn't know I got left behind again." She tried to smile to show she was okay.

He just continued to look at her with those eyes that looked into her soul. "_If _we were to investigate it, Allie." He looked away from her finally, guiding her by the arm towards the exit. "I would say that you were brilliant." She didn't understand what he was talking about until he looked into her eyes again. "You are brilliant. Very perceptive."

Just like that, her negative emotions were gone and this time she gave him a heart-felt smile. She felt some heat coming to her cheeks at such a high praise. "Thanks, Doctor." He just returned the smile, and they both joined up with Martha outside of the theatre.

"I'm not an expert," Martha began once the two brunets were with her. "But I've never heard of 'Loves Labor's Won'."

"Exactly – the lost play." The Doctor responded. "It doesn't exist – only in rumors. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never turns up. No one knows why." The Doctor bumped her shoulder, and she knew what he was saying. She turned her head away for a second to hide her smile before moving it back towards them.

"Have you got a mini-disk or something?" Martha seemed to be getting an idea, and Alex didn't like the sound of it. "We could tape it. We can flog it." She mouthed the word 'flog'. She'd have to try and remember to ask the Doctor what that meant later on – who needed Google when you had a _Time Lord_! "Sell it when we get back home and make a mint."

"Martha," Alex's tone became scolding. "That would be called _pirating_, and we don't condone that, now _do _we?"

"No, we don't." The Doctor added.

"That would be bad?"

"Yeah. Yeah."

Alex rolled her eyes, _yes _that would be bad. "So, why did it disappear in the first place?" She wanted to add if it had something to do with the strange behavior in the theatre just now, but decided not to. She was still elated over the Doctor's compliment, though.

He looked at the two eager human faces and sighed. "Well, I was just gonna give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS, but I suppose we can stay." Alex did a little fist-pump and Martha grinned.

Oh yeah! Alex whooped mentally. Three cheers for Elizabethan England!

-x-

It didn't take them long to find out where Shakespeare was staying. He was a celebrity, even in these times, so everyone seemed happy to let the three time travelers know where he was booking a room. Then it was finding the building called 'The Elephant Inn'. That was probably the hardest part, considering the Doctor refused to take directions. He insisted that he knew exactly where he was going.

They got lost _three _times, and finally Alex just walked over to the first person she saw and asked kindly if they could direct her to the inn. The person had no issue in explaining where to go. Once Alex thanked the kind sir, she grabbed the Doctor's hand, and both she and Martha dragged him to the proper location.

The Doctor didn't bother talking to anyone once he entered. He just took off up the stairs and looked into each of the rooms until he got to the one at the end of the hall. "Hello!" Alex heard him call out, knocking on the open door. "Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

She gasped as she _finally_ caught up to the impossible alien. "Good Lord, you are impossible."

"How so?" The Doctor asked. She and Martha seemed to be good at making him confused.

"Look at me, Doctor." Which was completely unnecessary considering he was _already _staring at her. Totally irrelevant for her point. "I am _way _shorter than you, and that's not including your – frankly – awesome hair." He smiled at her. "So, seriously, you need to be considerate and _slow down_ – those legs should be illegal." She glared at the offending body parts.

"Hey, nonny nonny." She turned and recognized the voice before she saw his face. William Shakespeare. _Oooohhhh_, she got a sudden chill. This man is one of the most famous people throughout history, _everyone _knows who William Shakespeare is. Unless they were uncultured _swine_, and in that instance Alex chose to pretend like no one was _that _uncultured. "Sit right down here next to me." He turned to the two men who were currently sitting in the chairs, and dismissed them – saying something about sewing up the costumes.

"Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muses." Alex pursued her lips and threw an offended look to the woman's back. _Excuse _her, but she is no one's muse!

Shakespeare ignored them, and continued to take in the two women in front of him. "Sweet ladies." The American didn't even realize she had been slowly backing up until she ran into the Doctor. She almost fell into him, but he caught her by the shoulders and helped her stay standing.

"He's creeping me out…" She whispered to him, hoping only he could hear her.

"Don't worry, Allie." He comforted. "I'm right here." That did make her feel better, and she felt her shoulders relax as the Time Lord guided her to sit between him and Martha.

"Such unusual clothes." Shakespeare continued on. "So… fitted." Was that really so surprising? It wasn't until she caught sight the inn keeper that she slapped herself in the face – mentally, of course. They were in old England, back in a time where lots of skin was considering scandalous. How she wishes on some days that humans could go back to this…

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads." Alex turned towards her friend and just raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What was _that_?" She _thought _that was supposed to be English, but it sure didn't sound like any English she knew of.

"Old English." Martha seemed confused as Alex was. "Aren't we suppose to speak like that?"

She just stared at the doctor-in-training. She wasn't sure where that thought process came from, considering Shakespeare had _just_ spoken normally. She turned to the Doctor, and he spoke for her. "No, no, you don't have to do that. Don't." He pulled out his trusty physic paper and showed it to the bard. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and these are my companions Miss Martha Jones and Miss Alex Harper."

"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank." Alex's eyes widened, _whooooooaaa_, well it was official now. Everyone can go home. Shakespeare is one clever cookie, and every other human will just fail.

The Doctor was just as impressed. "Oh, that's… very clever. That proves it." Yes it does. Shakespeare was clever enough that he couldn't read the physic paper – oh that is just _awesome_. "Absolute genius." Alex tapped his elbow, silently showing her joy and the Doctor grinned at her.

Martha peered at the paper, and she didn't see what was so amazing. "No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Martha Jones, Alex Harper. It says so."

"And I say it's blank." He retorted.

The Doctor tried to explain it. "Physic paper." That was all he said, and Alex gave him a look before turning to her friend. She mouthed that if Martha reminded her, she would explain it _much _better later. The Black British woman nodded her head. "Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch."

Before he could put it away, Alex held out her hand. He looked at her, "May I see it?"

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I just want to see it. Please?" She wasn't going to rip it or anything, she just wanted to play around with it. The Doctor gave it over with some hesitation and she looked at the paper. She saw the same writing that Martha saw, and was impressed by how official it looked. She turned the paper away, and thought of something else – thinking of her driver's license. She then turned the paper towards her, and grinned when she saw that was _exactly _on the paper – word for word.

"Physic." Shakespeare was saying. "Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady? Or this celestial, fair-faced Goddess." While Alex did like being complimented as much as the next woman, she certainly didn't like it with that hair-raising look he had on his face. She tried to ignore the creepy feeling she was getting as he flirted with her. It was why she had asked for the physic paper.

"What did you say?" Martha was completely surprised.

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays?" Shakespeare seemed to think it was appropriate to try different compliments. "An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric..." Alex imagined herself plugging in her ears and singing. She wasn't hearing this, she told herself, she wasn't listening as Shakespeare seemed to be complimenting her now. Nope, Shakespeare was not flirting with them. _Nope. _

_ALL ABOARD THE NOPE TRAIN_.

She heard the Doctor's voice and tuned back in. "It's political correctness gone wrong. Um, Martha and Allie's from a far-off land." He seemed to just throw out the first word that came to him. "Freedonia." That is a frankly horrible name for a country, Alex thought. He could have at least _tried _to come up with something that sounded a bit more like a proper country. 'Freedonia' sounded like it came from a poorly-written, cliché filled fairytale.

"Excuse me!"

"You're excused." Alex replied without even thinking about it. She heard Martha snort and the Doctor chuckled. Everyone turned to the man that came to the door.

"Hold hard a moment." He continued after throwing the brunette a nasty look. She just smiled. "This is abominable behavior. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be preformed." Someone loves their job just a _little _too much, Alex reckoned.

"Tomorrow morning," Shakespeare didn't seem too concerned about the new appearance. Clearly, he's had his fair share of meetings before. "First thing, I'll send it 'round."

The man wasn't pleased with that answer. "I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!"

"I can't." Shakespeare gave a sharp sound at the last syllable, annoyed that he had to admit his play was not yet complete.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled."

"It's all go 'round here, isn't it?" Alex just groaned. That was not what she wanted. Seriously, that was just boring. A guy who has a grudge on Shakespeare takes it out by cancelling the performance. No, she wasn't looking for that. She wanted something exciting and clearly _Doctor Who_. Something that had to do with aliens and chaos, and maybe something to do with the end of the world even. That would be nice – that was what she was looking for.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Loves Labour's Won' will never be played." With that as his final word, he swiftly turned to leave the inn.

Alex took a deep breath, and turned back around to lean back in her chair. Well, this was just _stupid_! She wanted something way more exciting than this. That's what you get when you sign on with the Doctor, or at least that's what she thought. She had to admit that she was disappointed that this was all she had gotten. "Well then… mystery solved." Martha sounded just as dissatisfied as Alex was. "That's 'Loves Labour's Won' over and done with."

"Oh come on," Alex turned to the Doctor, as if he would have the solution. "That can't be it. There _has _to be more to it. More… I don't know, _mystery_." She got her response when they heard screaming from outside. Alex's head snapped up – could that be her mystery that she was looking for? She took off right away, the Doctor right on her heels. They piled up outside and Alex wasn't so sure about it now when she saw the Lynley guy stumbling over to them. "Isn't he that Lynley guy that wanted to cancel the show?"

"What's wrong with him?" The Doctor asked as they saw him spewing up water.

The fact that water was coming out of his mouth was not the issue Alex had. "Can he breathe with all of that water in his mouth?" And possibly in his lungs. The two brunets looked at each other, and both came to the horrible realization.

No, he couldn't. "Leave it to me – I'm a doctor." He rushed over to the man's side. "Nurse!" Alex just watched him, until he turned to her annoyed. "Allie that would be you!"

"What? Oh yeah," She was quick to his side, remembering that she had been studying to be a nurse when they had met. "Right."

"I'm a doctor too," Martha wasn't about to be left out. "Near enough."

"There's only one problem with being your nurse, Doctor." They looked at each other, and she looked sheepish. "I have no idea what I'm doing – Alex was herself before I learned enough about nursing." Like a light switch went off, Lynley went limp and fell to the ground. "Whoa!"

The Doctor rushed over to look out at the street, and Alex was panicking. She didn't know what to do! _She didn't know what to do_! "Alex!" She looked up at Martha. "I need your help. We need to get his heart going. I'm going to do mouth-to-mouth. I need you to do chest-compression."

"Like on the moon where we were helping the Doctor?" Alex asked in a small voice. This was good, she decided, getting directions. She was a _perfect _worker if you told her what to do. She wasn't so good on her own, but if you gave her direction on how to handle a situation, she would be your star student. Even in her writing, her characters would give her directions on where to go.

"Yes, just like on the moon." Alex nodded, and linked her fingers together before placing them on Linley's chest, right over his heart.

"Okay." She nodded her head, and Martha opened his mouth to begin the process. Before she could, she reeled back as water came gushing out. Alex squeaked and lifted herself up so she was squatting instead, avoiding the water. Her hands slipped out of position as she took in the sight. "What the hell?" She felt the Doctor come back to her side. She turned to him, "What is _that_?"

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water – he drowned and then…" The Doctor was clearly talking to himself more than he was to his companions. "I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow."

"Is that even possible?" Alex asked astonished. She didn't even think something like this could happen.

He didn't answer as he stood up to address Dolly. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humors. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

"Yes, sir." Dolly replied, but Alex didn't understand as he came down next to her again.

"And why are you telling him that?" Martha asked, on the same thought.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." She supposed that made sense. Of course, they wouldn't want the people to freak out and start a mass panic or something. That would be bad, and it would cause all sorts of problems. Alex nodded her head, yes that made sense. The Doctor, ever the scientific and reasonable man, must have a perfectly sensible answer for what was going on.

"Then what happened here, Doctor?" Alex looked over at him.

She started to rethink her earlier assumption when the Doctor just stared at her for a moment. "Witchcraft." Her face fell a bit flat, and she just stared back.

Okay, now she felt it was appropriate to panic. He was likely to be the most scientific man she will ever meet, and he didn't even blink when he said that it was witchcraft. Oh boy…

-x-

They ended up back in Shakespeare's room. Dolly had come in and told them they would be sharing a room together across the landing. She _really _tried not to think about that too much. She focused, instead, on the events of what happened outside. It couldn't be witchcraft, she knew that there was no such thing as magic – she couldn't remember where, but she did indeed remember him saying that. So what was it then?

Something alien, obviously. But why kill Lynley, what did he have to do with anything? Other than attempting to ban Shakespeare's newest play. Maybe that was it… Alex realized. Maybe it had something to do with the play, but what?

Shakespeare spoke up, and Alex lost her train of thought. "Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia, where a woman could be a doctor?" She saw Martha look over at her for a second, but she wasn't surprised. Even in the sixteenth century, women were nurses – it was considering to be a 'woman's job, and was actually rather common place. It was doctors that – at the time – were considering to be strictly a man's job, and women just didn't become doctors, not that they were allowed even if they wanted to.

"Where a woman can do what she likes."

Shakespeare moved on. "And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?" Oh yes, indeed. He _really was _clever. Alex just couldn't believe how sharp he was. Damn, he is _good_. Flirting or not, she really loved Shakespeare. Nothing could get by him.

"I do a lot of reading." The Doctor replied evasively.

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do." That had the Time Lord smiling. Shakespeare turned back to Martha as the doctor-in-training looked at the alien. He caught onto the look she had. "And you, you look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me."

The Doctor glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes before looking over at the wall. Martha felt it best not to answer. "I think we should say goodnight."

"But you, I feel, in some ways Alex is the strangest of them all." She turned and realized that it was now her turn to be evaluated. She felt a slight sliver of fear run through her, and she tried to shove it away.

"Oh?" She smiled. "I take that as a compliment. Strange means different, and I like that."

Shakespeare smiled. "True, I do indeed like that answer. So much empathy and kindness in those beautiful eyes, Alex. You understand so much without wanting anything in return. You just want to love and care for." She smiled but looked down at her feet. She felt that way, sure, and couldn't help but blush a bit when she could feel the Doctor's eyes on her. She didn't even know why she was blushing. "However, I see walls."

Like that, her happiness was gone and her eyes snapped back up to Shakespeare. She knew she looked startled, similar to a deer caught in the headlights, but she couldn't control herself. "Oh yes, very thick and hard walls. Hiding so much from the world. You have a lot that you're hiding, and you seem deathly afraid of someone finding out what that may be."

Her heart was racing and suddenly she felt like she was trapped within a small room. She felt like she was suffocating under both Shakespeare's and the Doctor's gaze. She felt especially small and weak and scared from the heavy weight of the Doctor's eyes. She could feel herself panicking, and her brain was ordering her to abort. It ordered her to abandon ship, to run away and hide somewhere they couldn't see her before she broke down.

"I think… I should go to bed now." She wasn't even sure exactly what she was saying. All she knew was that she needed to get away from them. These two _stupidly_ brilliant men that could easily take down every single wall she's put up for her safety. She turned on her heels – which she would later be impressed by, considering she's wearing wedge heels – and walked towards the door. "Goodnight gentlemen." She said in a very quiet voice, having no strength to speak up before walking in a daze towards her room.

She whisked herself into the bedroom they would be sharing without paying any attention to Martha. She opened the door to the bathroom and closed it – she had to physical stop herself from slamming it. Her eyes became blurry and started to sting as tears came to her. They fell down her cheeks and tickled her chin. She tried to wipe them away, mindful that she still had make up on and she didn't want to look like a raccoon or something.

She pressed her back to the door and slide down onto the floor. She sobbed quietly as the memories just wouldn't stop coming. They flooded her mind's eyes, and she couldn't stop them now and it was just so painful. She curled up into a ball and started to rock herself, trying to compress herself as tightly as she could. She could barely hear the Doctor and Martha over the sounds of past events.

She tried to wait it out, wait for them to stop talking and go to bed. She didn't want to deal with them. She didn't want them to see her like this. There were only two people who have ever seen her like this – and she wanted to keep it that way. She tried to focus at least on their voices, give her something to concentrate on so that she wouldn't be swallowed up by her memories. While she knew in reality it wasn't more than ten minutes, it felt like they talked forever and a century.

It took her longer than she wanted to admit to ease herself out of the fetal position. She winced at how she looked, and did her best to clean herself off. She fixed her sweater and dusted off her jeans. She then turned towards the door. She paused right in front of it, just staring at the wood with her hand hovering over the handle. She took a couple of deep breaths, before forcing herself to grab it and open it.

The door opened just enough for part of her face to appear, before she froze. The Doctor was staring right at her with those stupid soul-sucking brown eyes and despite her best efforts it felt like she was emotionally bare in front of him and it was causing her to tear up again. She ripped her eyes away and kept them on the ground, and she pulled together all of her will power and opened the bathroom door and walked over to the bed. "Could you please move over a bit?"

The Doctor did the best he could, and Alex just sat down, before ungracefully letting herself fall onto her side. She refused to look at the Doctor, keeping her back towards him. She wasn't even the slightest bit tired, too wound up and strung out with all of the emotions. Not to mention, she was too scared to fall asleep right now. Too much of a possibility that she would have a nightmare. She didn't even want to _think _about Martha's and the Doctor's reaction if that were to happen.

She wondered if the Doctor ever had nightmares. She was asking him before she even thought about. "Doctor," She heard him hum to show he was still awake. She wanted to stop herself, but she was really tired – tired of hiding, and just _really _wanted someone to know. Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Do you ever have nightmares?"

There was a long pause, and Alex berated herself with trying to talk to him about this. She closed her eyes as she felt a new wave of tears come. "Do you have nightmares, Allie?" It was the way he said it. It was soft and not at all judgment. It was sweet, and a caress but in a totally not-sexual way. It was warm and sweet and innocent.

She took a deep breath and slowly shifted around until she was facing him. The two of them looked at each other. She went into details of everything that's happened to her. She explained about how one night – it wasn't even that stupid cliché about how it was dark and raining. No, she remembered it perfectly. That night was actually really nice. She remembered it hadn't been too cold or too warm, it had been perfect. Or at least, for a while.

She told him about how her parents and she were driving home from seeing a movie – she remembered that perfectly too. It had been _Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief_. It hadn't been a bad movie, she remembered that she liked it a lot actually. She remembered how she had been off in her own world, just looking out the window of the car. She told him about how red and blue and yellow lights broke through her thoughts. She told him about how the drunk driver smashed into their car and caused them to spin.

They ended up in a ditch, she told him. They had been upside down. She believed that she had fallen unconscious for a while, but when she woke up, her parents were dead. She broke down, and started crying again. The Doctor rubbed her shoulder. "I'm not even mad at the driver," She confessed to him in a small voice – even to her own ears she sounded like a child. "I know that's surprising, but I'm… I'm not. It had been his sixth D.U.I. He wasted his life just for a few drinks."

"That's commendable." The Doctor responded, just as quietly. He was running this thumb back and forth across her shoulder. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were red and the Doctor felt his hearts tug at the sight. She still looked so sad and lonely and lost and he was desperate to do something.

They were looking at each other, just the same as Martha and the Doctor. Their faces were close enough that she could feel his breath lightly brush across her face. It made her skin tingle. They didn't say anything for a long moment, they just stared into each other's eyes, connecting with each other over their shared sense of loss. She felt so bare that she ended up speaking. "Can I ask you a question, Doctor?" She continued on to add something before he could speak. "You don't have to answer right away, I wouldn't want you to. I want you to at least think about it."

He blinked, and she could see he was confused. "Okay." She was happy that he complied none the less.

"Can I…" She paused, and wanted to look away but couldn't. Her eyes were just so deep into his. "Can I travel with you?" She saw he was even more confused, and she clarified. "Can I become a companion?" This time, she saw pain and suffering flash through his eyes. He was hesitant, and she knew that he was struggling with himself. She could _see _it. "I know, Doctor. I just want you to think about." She didn't think she could bare him saying no to her, especially now. "Just think about it, that's all." She bit her lip and looked up at him, pleading. "I want to help…"

"Help with what?" His voice was soft and so full of pain and despair and it made her heart ache and tears come to her eyes.

"I want to help fix your hearts…" She didn't mean to close her eyes, but they were starting to feel so heavy. "Please, let me help." She murmured, just one last time. She had to get that out before the darkness enveloped her and she drifted off into her dreams.

-x-

The Doctor took deep breaths, trying to keep his thoughts from running all around. He couldn't help it though, he peeked a look over at the cause of his rampant thoughts. She was sound asleep, her mouth open slightly to breathe deeply. He could feel the wisps of it move across his cheek. She had started to cry in her sleep, starting shaking and writhing. She was clearly in pain, and for a moment the Doctor had been at a lost as what to do.

Finally, he just rubbed her back and talked to her. He wasn't even sure what he had said, just anything that came to mind that would help to ease her suffering. He could only imagine what she was dreaming about and he could understand – _oh_, could he understand. She had calmed down afterwards, and he did feel a bit of triumph over that. Ever since that little episode, she had been sleeping peacefully.

It brought him back to where he was now. Her words running through his mind, repeating as if stuck on a broken record. _Can I come with you_? She had asked, with hope and anticipation in her eyes. _Can I become a companion_? He hadn't been expecting her to ask that at all. Although, honestly, he wasn't even sure what he _had _been expecting. He was sure that it wasn't that. His initial reaction was to answer with a positive, 'yes'. Even in those few seconds, he had already thought about all of the places he could take her. All of time and space, and they could travel around together.

It made him smile, even now with his thoughts so torn. He enjoyed her company. He enjoyed her presence. She was just so warm and comforting and understanding. He was amazed at how much she comprehended. He didn't have to speak, she just understood. _I know, Doctor. I just want you to think about it_. He never met someone like her – someone so naturally empathetic. She did it with ease, and wore her heart on her sleeve.

He liked that. He enjoyed that. She was just so genuine with her emotions, it didn't even seem to occur to her.

Genuine in her emotions, until it came to her parents. That was where she hid away. She would hide until they would stop looking for her. It was there that he saw her sadness and loneliness. She was so transparent with her emotions, even then. She didn't have a family to go back to, it seemed, and his hearts broke. But, while he wasn't proud to admit it, he was just the tiniest bit happy. Not that she had no family, no no no, he could never be happy about something like that.

He was the tiniest bit happy, because she understood. She understood pain, and loss, and suffering like he did. It may not be to his extent, but he would take anything he could get. She understood _him_, and that made him feel frightened and delighted all together. Although, with her empathy, he wouldn't have been surprised if she would be able to comprehend his suffering. Although, he knew that he probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much.

Could he do it? That was the real question. Could he let her become a companion? Rose had ended up within a parallel world, and he would _never _be able to reach her. He wasn't sure if he could handle that again. The Doctor looked over at Alex as she slept. He knew that he especially couldn't handle it if it was Alex that ended up in that kind of situation. She was just so sincere and gentle that it would break his hearts into so many pieces if that was to happen to her. He couldn't ruin her.

_I want to help fix your hearts_. Such sincerity was held in her tone when she said that. Even now, he could feel his hearts skip a beat as his mind played that line over again, adding in the perfect replica of her tone of voice. Even with just a remake of it, his hearts still felt like they were lifting up into the stars. No one had ever told him that, particularly not with that tone of voice – that genuineness and honesty.

He didn't know. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to even admit that in his thoughts, but it was the truth. He didn't know what to do. Let her come with him. He would entertain that thought, and he would come up with all sorts of adventures and places and sights that he could take her on. Don't let her come. Once that thought came to his mind, he would imagine how every single of those adventures could end badly for both of them.

However, she understood that to. _You don't have to answer right away, I wouldn't want you to. I want you to at least think about it. _She understood how painful and hard this would be for him to decide. She would leave him be, he was sure that she wouldn't mention it again. She wouldn't pressure him, and she would let him come to his own conclusion.

He sighed deeply, and stared up at the ceiling thinking deeply.

-x-

"_Aaaaahhhh_!"

The shrill scream echoed throughout the whole inn. Alex shot up. She was instantly aware of the Doctor pretty much catapulting himself over her to get to the door. "Martha!" She pushed her friend before taking off after the Doctor. They ran down the hallway and across the landing. The Doctor ran into the door, and Alex pretty much just ran into him. "What happened? What's going on? Who screamed?"

Martha ran over to the window, as Alex clutched onto the Doctor's shoulder as she saw Dolly's body on the ground in front of them. Her heart clenched tightly in her chest, and she squeezed over her sweater. Oh, how awful. She must have been the one that was screaming. "Doctor…?" She asked, slightly hopeful. Maybe she had just passed out. Maybe she would come too soon, and be able to tell us what gave her such a fright.

He turned to look at her with sad brown eyes, and her own heart sagged a bit. "Her heart gave out. She died of fright." Alex's eyes shot up, and she looked down at the poor inn keeper. Died of fright? She had never heard someone actually doing that. It had to have been something truly horrific. Unless she's mistaken, she thought it had to take _a whole lot _for a heart to just give out like that.

"Doctor?" Martha's voice brought them to her. "Alex?"

They rushed over to the window, and Alex grunted when her chest kind of rammed into the windowsill. Ow, her breasts are not going to be happier with her about that later. "What did you see?"

"And why do you have that look on your face?" Alex asked, confused as to the frankly bland look on her friend's face.

"I saw a witch." Martha replied, and everything suddenly made sense. Alex turned towards the horizon, to see if she could catch at least a glimpse of the witch. She saw nothing, but knew that if Martha had seen a witch than it had been a witch.

She turned to the Doctor, as he looked out at the city as well. "So, mind trying to explain _this_?" He turned to look at her, and saw he didn't have an answer just yet.

-x-

They had moved themselves to the chairs, all four of them trying to come up with what exactly was going on. Alex _knew _it had something to do with Shakespeare. All of this was centered around him. Lynley dies after trying to ban the bard's new play. Now they had Dolly dyeing after seeming to come and visit him. The only thing Alex couldn't figure out, was _why_? What was so special about Shakespeare that two people had do die?

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey." Shakespeare was genuinely heartbroken about her untimely death. Alex could get behind him, at least. He wasn't a heartless man-whore at least. He did genuinely care about the women. "She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats." She sounded like an amazing woman, Alex thought. It made her sad that there had been nothing they could have done. "But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit."

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light'." The Doctor murmured.

"I might use that." Shakespeare seemed to like the Doctor. Alex almost rolled her eyes, at the fact that the Doctor was giving him way to many of his own quoates – without the bard even realizing it.

"You can't. It someone else's." At least he had some rules, she mused.

She suddenly realized where the quote had come from. "Dylan Thomas, really?" He wasn't her favorite poet, but he was good – she would admit.

The Doctor looked over at her, "You know him?"

She shrugged. "Sure, I read a lot. He's not my absolute favorite, but he's still very good." She liked to believe that he looked impressed. Probably not, Alex told herself, you're probably just imagining it.

"But the thing is," Martha spoke up, getting them back on topic. "Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you." It had been the same thing that Alex had been thinking of. That was bothering her so much, while Shakespeare was an important role within history – especially theatre history – what did all of this have to do with him?

"You're accusing me?" He seemed rightfully bothered about that. Alex couldn't blame him.

"No," well, that's good at least. Alex didn't think Shakespeare, himself, had anything to do with this. "But I saw a witch, big as you like, cackling away, and you've written about witches."

"I have? When was that?" Oh shit, Alex coughed roughly into her hand. You're off, Martha! Alex yelled in her head. It's too early in time!

"Not, not quite yet." The Doctor murmured in a low tone when Martha looked over. The American placed her hand strategically over her mouth so Shakespeare couldn't see, and mouthed '1603'. That was when Macbeth had been created – the play that Martha was referring too. Since the Doctor had said it was _1599_, her friend was about four years a little too early. Martha's confusion cleared from her face.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." Everyone looked back over at Shakespeare.

Alex was glad for the subject moving away from dangerous territory, and tried to nurture it. "Who's Peter Streete?"

"Our builder." The bard explained. "He sketched the plans for the Globe."

"The architect. Hold on." Alex looked over, and she could _see _when the light bulb went off over the Doctor's head. Clearly, with his super duper brain, he was picking up on something that the other three humans didn't quite get. "The architect! The architect!" He slamed his fist into the desk, and Alex jumped.

"Doctor," she said, not even sure he'd be able to hear her. "Careful, you could hurt yourself. Not to mention, we don't want to break anything."

"The Globe!" She just sighed, no of course he didn't hear her. She should have expected it more, really. Once he was onto something, he refused to let it go until it was solved. "Come on!" He shot himself up and out of the chair and towards the door. The three humans rushed to catch up with him.

"Doctor! Long legs!" Alex tried to call to him. "Remember what we talked about?"

-x-

He had slowed down, or at least enough to get up next to her so that he could encourage her along. She did the best she could to keep up, but she ended up falling when the Doctor had turned too sharply. There was a lot of faces being made – hey, that dirt tasted _nasty_, lots of spitting and gagging, and lots of apologies. Once it was clear that she was fine – just a bit of scrapes on her palms for hitting the ground so hard – the Doctor made sure to keep slow enough that they didn't have a repeat of that again.

"That's what I had been talking about," She had told him as they ran again. "I can try to run as much as you, but if I do that there's more of a chance of me falling. Doctor, I'm a _klutz_." The universe decided to make her point, but having her trip yet again. This time, she just ended up face-first in the Doctor's back. She had to get a good grip on his jacket in order to fix herself.

"Allie," He slowed down just a tad bit more.

"I repeat, Doctor, _klutz_." She grumbled. The Doctor grabbed onto her hand tightly. Weirdly enough, that actually seemed to do a lot of good. He kept her straight and would guide her around corners properly. Even if it seemed like she was about to go down that direction again, he'd use their linked hands as leverage to keep her on her feet.

"I can deal with klutzes, Allie." He replied with a grin. Well, _that's _a relief, Alex thought with a sigh. At least there wasn't a possibility he'd stop liking her because she's incapable of learning how to use limbs. She liked to think that part of the problem, was that for most of her life she had been fairly tall, and now she's short. It's a _weird _transition, she insisted.

They were back at the theatre without any more incidences, and Alex figured it was safer if she just sat on the stage. Martha and Shakespeare stood near her, and the Doctor was walking around in the pit. He claimed that moving around helped him think. "The columns there, right? Fourteen sides. I've always wondered but I never asked… Tell me, Will," Will? Alex raised an eyebrow. Is _that _what we're calling _Shakespeare_, now? It seemed so inappropriate, considering the fact that it was _the _Shakespeare. "Why fourteen sides?"

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well." She supposed that made sense. Of course, Alex knew _nothing _of building so she would just have to take someone else's word it.

"Why does that ring a bell? Fourteen…" There went the Doctor, back into his brain. She wasn't sure about the other two, but she was starting to feel a little bit left out. She didn't have his brain, so she didn't know what he was thinking.

Martha was the more helpful one. Alex was just waiting patiently for him to get it. "There are fourteen lines in a sonnet."

"So there is." The Doctor agreed. "Good point. Words and shapes following the same design." He started to pace back and forth, and Alex thought for a moment or two about how she hoped he wouldn't wear a line into the ground. "Fourteen lines, fourteen sides, fourteen facets… Oh, my head. Tetra decagon… think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines." Then the Doctor did something that Alex _fully _disapproved off. For each words he spoke, he smacked the back of his head as if trying to force the answer from the backs of his mind.

"Doctor! Don't hit yourself!" She finally spoke up. "You're killing brain cells!"

"They're grow back." The Doctor waved off her concern. "I need to think. Fourteen, why is that important?"

"This is just the theatre."

The Doctor was quick to rebut that. "Oh, but the theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time… Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them." The Doctor walked over to the very stage they were on. He came near Alex, and she watched him with a smile. Of course he'd like the theatre. She really wasn't surprised that Ten was so in love. "You can change people's minds just with words in this place." She could see that something was occurring to him – _yet again_. Seriously, how they supposed to keep up with him? She thought with a slight quirk of her lips. "And if you exaggerate that…"

"But isn't that just like your police box?" She _had _wanted to call the TARDIS by her name. However, she figured that wouldn't be a good idea with Shakespeare with them. "You know, Doctor, that small wooden box with _all of that power_?" She threw her arms out, feeling just the slightest bit of teasing within her. She wasn't teasing the TARDIS, no no no, she would _never _tease that beautiful girl. She felt, however, that she _could _tease the alien that resided within the TARDIS.

"Oh. Oh, Allie, I like you." Alex just laughed – with glee, she had to admit. She couldn't help but be a bit smug about it as well. The Doctor liked her, she thought with a shit-eating grin. That wasn't something _everyone _could say. "Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer." Shakespeare replied. "A month after finishing this place… lost his mind." Alex's heart stopped for a moment. Lost his mind? How did that happen?

"Why?" Martha asked. "What happened?"

"Started raving about witches," The bard explained. "Hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled." Oh, good word, addled. She would have to remember that.

Shakespeare told them that he now resided in Bedlam, apparently a hospital – or what he had referred to as a madhouse. What a lovely name, Alex thought with a roll of her eyes. The Doctor took off immediately, and Alex was quick to follow him. She heard Shakespeare saying something about going with them.

She couldn't help but groan at the thought. "What?" The Doctor asked, taking her hand again. She figured it was to make sure she didn't fall.

"I love Shakespeare." She began, made sure that was the first thing that was clear. "I think you know that I love Shakespeare. One of the greatest play writes ever to exist. My dad _loved _theatre. I grew up with it in my blood. But…" She sighed and rolled her eyes when she had peeked back, and yes he was following them. "But… he's so… he's _such a flirt_!" It was really getting a bit creepy.

"You don't like him complimenting you?" The Doctor asked with a grin.

"I wouldn't if he didn't have such a creepy look on his face every time that I did!" Alex slapped her free hand over her mouth, startled by how loud she was and peeked another look behind her. Good, neither Shakespeare nor Martha seemed to realize what they were talking about. "Honestly, Doctor, if he wasn't such a famous man – I'd punch him." The Doctor laughed which caused her to insist heavily on it. "I would! I'd do it!"

The Doctor did leave it alone, but asked her about her and the theatre. That was a subject Alex didn't care if the two humans behind her heard. They talked quite a bit about it, actually – she was able to find out why Ten was so in love with theatre. Alex stopped once she realized that Shakespeare and Martha had lagged behind. Bad idea, considering the Doctor had his hand wrapped around hers.

She would have fallen on the ground, if the Doctor hadn't been quick. He whirled around and caught her. She grumbled into her chest, even _she _wasn't sure what she said. She pulled her face up to see him. "Why'd you stop?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed at the delay.

"Don't look at me." She fixed herself so she wasn't leaning against him. _Not paying attention to how surprisingly fit he was, despite how sinewy he appeared. _She tried ignoring how his hands were stupidly warm against her shoulders. _Or how he was basically warm all over, stupid Time Lord and their stupid heaters-they-call-bodies_. She pointed to the general direction behind her. "I saw Martha and Shakespeare behind us. I stopped 'cause they stopped."

The Doctor looked up, and he saw what she was talking about. He slipped his hand down to hers. She ended up whirling around from the Doctor taking off, "Come on. We can all have a good flirt later." No, she wasn't blushing about that. Why would she? It wasn't like she thought the Doctor _attractive _or anything? It wasn't like she would have _loved _if she _could _have a flirt with _him_… No, of course not.

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare asked as he turned to smile at the alien.

Alex's eyes widened just a tad. Well, that _clearly _answered the age-old question. "Oh, fifty seven academics just punched the air!" He muttered, on the same thought as she was. "Now move!"

-x-

Alex stalled outside of the hospital, "Wait, are you sure that _this _is the hospital?" It didn't look like any hospital she's ever seen. It looked _way _creepier than that.

"Yes, I am." Shakespeare said and everyone went it. It wasn't until she actually entered the hospital that she _really _wished she hadn't come. There was such heavy despair, and horror, and fright that it made her stomach turn dangerously in her body. She tried to step back, tried to get away from the thick fog that had overcome her brain.

She was pulling her hand away from the Doctor's, and he became irritated at the interruption from getting to Peter Streete. "Oh, _Allie_…" His words stopped the moment he turned around to look at her. She was as white as a sheet. Her eyes were darting around, and she was starting to hunch her shoulder. "Allie…"

She made a small, frightened sound when the Doctor's chest came into her view – until it was all she could see. She didn't even realize how much she was shaking until the Doctor put his hands on her shoulders. Everything sounded like she was hearing it under water, and didn't even realize the Doctor had spoken her name until he leaned down to catch her eyes. She bit her lip, "It's scary in here…" She murmured, not even sure what else to say.

The Doctor smiled comforting, and he was so warm and secure and stable that she ended up reaching for him. She pressed her face into his chest, and tried to block out the _screams _that were coming from somewhere deeper in the _so-called hospital_. It made her even sicker, to know that _this _was what was considered to _help _people. She tried to hold back a gag as her stomach jerked. The Time Lord led them towards the gentry that kept guard over the patients. He kept Alex tucked under his arm, and she kept a tight hold of his jacket, keeping her face hidden.

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment?" The jailer had asked as he showed them the way. "I'd whip these madmen." Alex's tight increased at the thought. _Whip_? He actually would _whip _these men? They were sick, they needed help, not torture! The Doctor's hand rubbed her back, and she eased herself into his touch. "They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlem." That's _disgusting_, it was actually entertainment for people to come and see. Alex jerked a bit, when one of the patients ended up ramming himself into the bars. She had to look away, tears coming to her eyes at the crazed expression he had in his eyes.

"No, I don't!" The Doctor snapped, and leaned up against an empty cell. He positioned Alex so that she was now in front of him, standing between his legs. She bit her lip harshly, trying to hold back her tears. Everything about this place – the emotions abundant within the air the most – wanted to make her cry. The jailer told them to wait there, so he could get Peter decent.

Even though the copious amounts of sensations within the hospital, Alex could still feel Martha's anger. "So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry?" Alex felt two tears fall down her cheeks, with she wiped them away with her hands, even then refusing to let go of the Doctor's jacket. It was some comfort, she had to admit faintly, his scent. There was just something about it that was so relaxing – it did help, even if it was a little bit. "And you put your friend in here?"

"Oh," Shakespeare rolled his eyes. "And it's all so different in Freedonia." Actually, it was. Alex thought with a small sigh. In '_Freedonia_', when patients became sick like _this_, they actually got proper _help_ – _not cruelty_.

"But you're clever!" Martha protested. "Do you honestly think this place is any good?"

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind." Shakespeare snapped. "Fear of this place set me right again. It served its purpose." It must have been quite the event if it were to get him to support a place like this, Alex thought. She bit back her words and just nuzzle her face into the Doctor's chest. He continued to move his hand across her back.

"Mad in what way?" Martha seemed to be skeptical as well.

"You lost your son." The Doctor softly answered for him. Alex looked up startled, lost his son? That's horrible. She pressed her face back into his chest, but couldn't deny that she felt guilty now. That would indeed be an event that could mess with anyone's mind.

"My only boy." Shakespeare went on to say. "The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there." That was even worse, Alex thought. You couldn't even be there to say goodbye. It was indeed horrifying. She couldn't imagine going through something like that.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Even Martha felt sorry for him.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be…" Her eyebrows shot up despite herself. _Wow_… This time he came up with that on his own, the Doctor didn't even mention it. She couldn't help but tug gently on the Doctor's coat – this time out of her previous amazement she had before, and not this recent terror. He squeezed her waist in response. "Oh, that's quite good."

"You… You might want to write that down. Ya know… For if you want to use it later." It took way too much effort to say that as if that line meant nothing. She wouldn't say she was a theatre geek – she did like theatre, don't get her wrong – but even _she _was fangirling over that.

"Hm, maybe not." _Whaaaaat_? Alex tried to hold back a response. No, don't act as if that's the biggest stupidest mistake he could make. Bad Alex, time periods are important. "A bit pretentious?" The Doctor made a face, and Alex tried not to laugh at the irony of it. David Tenant had _done _Hamlet, and he had performed that same speech that began with that question.

"This way, m'lord!" Everyone turned to see that the jailer was speaking from the end of the hallway. They all moved towards the end cell, and the Doctor kept her tightly under his arm. She made sure to keep her head down, her eyes trained on the floor. For a moment, she saw the white converse he had on and couldn't help but smile. Only he could pull off a nice sharp suit with _sneakers_. It was one of the things she adored about this Doctor.

"They can dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength." Oh, that was _it_. Seriously? He's going to blame _them _for his own stupidity and savagery?

"Oh really, sir?" Alex growled, snapping her head up to glare at him. "This might be a new thought for you, but maybe – just _maybe _– it would be a good idea _if you didn't whip them_!" The jailor looked clearly startled at a woman speaking out against him so vividly. The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, murmuring her name. She took a deep, shuttering breathe. "Now just get out." She couldn't be sicker of this man. He left – not before throwing her a look. She rolled her shoulders. She walked over to the brick wall, and leaned up against it, crossing her arms underneath her chest and hunching her shoulders. She waved at the Time Lord, "Go on," she said, now in a much quieter tone. "Help him." She gestured to poor Peter.

The Doctor walked over to the man, and Alex felt so horrible. He was clearly lost and insane. Why couldn't they see that he needed help? Not torment. That clearly just made his situation worse. "Peter? Peter Streete?" The poor man didn't answer, and Alex wondered sadly if enough of him was even there anymore.

"He's the same as he was. You're get nothing out of him." Shakespeare said, clearly having already given up on his _friend_. Alex ended up sending him a look, without even meaning it – but she was frustrated that no one was willing to give him the aid he needed.

"Peter?" The Doctor, at least, was willing to help. It gave her some hope. He laid a hand on the poor builder's shoulder. That certainly caused a reaction. Peter's head suddenly jerked up, and looked over at the Doctor with wild, glassy eyes. She saw his mouth was open – just the slightest bit – as if he wanted to speak, but couldn't remember what words meant.

"Isn't there anything you can do, Doctor?" Alex asked quietly. Peter turned to her, and she could still see those thoughts in his head. He wanted to speak, but it was like he had forgotten. "Anything? Like… I don't know, he wants to speak you can see it. Maybe help him get those thoughts into words?"

"I can try one thing." The Doctor murmured, and placed his fingers across the man's temples. "Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go." He gently eased the man down onto the cot. Alex felt her heart speeding up just a little bit, hoping so much that this could work. Maybe in the long run it could help Peter out as well. She was proud of the Doctor, she had to admit. He was being gentle. He wasn't forcing the words out of Peter, e was just helping the man speak them. "Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

There was a long pause. Just when Alex was about to lose hope that it worked, he spoke up. "Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe in their design. _Their _design! The fourteen walls – always fourteen. When the work was done," He started to laugh, and she knew it wasn't a good laugh. It wasn't a laugh someone gave when they found something funny, or were happy or joyous. No, that was a sad laugh, a bitter laugh someone gave when they got the shortest straw out of life. "They sapped poor Peter's wits." Alex had difficulty swallowing – just like she thought.

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" The Doctor insisted as he crouched down to get on Peter's level. He looked the man into his eyes. "Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"

Peter looked frightened. Alex felt her heart clench, he was so terrified. She opened her mouth, they had had enough information – they could find for themselves where the witches were. "All Hallows Street."

"Too many words."

"Holy shit!" Alex called out. She didn't even think about it. She just rushed over and grabbed the Doctor's arm, pulling him away from the woman. That strange – and frankly ugly – looking woman had just appeared _out of nowhere_. She just popped up, couching like she had been there the whole time but Alex _knew _she had not. "What the _hell_?" She wasn't sure how else to respond.

"Just one touch of the heart." She held out a bony finger, her nail looking more like bent dagger. Did that woman not know what nail clippers were? There was a small moment in Alex's head where she became distracted. Have nail clippers even been _invented _yet?

The Doctor yelling out, "No!" brought her back to reality. Her grip tightened when she saw that the witch had laid a finger on Peter's chest, over his heart. Peter let out a yell, before his face went slack. Alex sucked in a breath, horrified at the sight of the now dead Peter Streete.

"Witch! I've seen a witch!" Yeah Shakespeare, and you'll be writing up plays about them for years to come. She almost snorted, but new it was not the right time.

"Who would be next, hmm?" This creepy lady was clearly just toying with them. Judging by the smile on her face, Alex would say that she was enjoying it too. "Just one touch." Her hands fluttered as she continued the mocking. "Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

"Let us out! Let us out!"

Alex turned to see Martha yanking at the bars of the cell. "How will that help, Martha? The whole damn building is shouting the same thing. And after I made such a commotion, I don't think he likes us very much." Still, she didn't regret how she spoke to the jailer. She never will.

"Who will die first, hmmm?" Wow, Alex was getting _sick _of the mocking.

She tugged on the Doctor's jacket. She saw him turn his head towards her, without taking his eyes off of the witch. "Do something," She whispered. "Please. She's clearly thinking about just humans…" If anyone could stop her, than it was the Doctor. Maybe no _human _had knowledge and power over them – but she had no doubt that the Doctor did.

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." The Time Lord stepped forward. Alex let her hand slip from his jacket. She wasn't worried, she couldn't even make herself worried. She had complete faith in the Doctor, and she wasn't about to stop him.

"No! Don't!" Oh come on, Martha! Alex rolled her eyes. Have a little trust.

"Doctor, can you stop her?" See, there we go. Shakespeare was more for. At least he was willing to believe.

"No mortal has power over me." The witch huffed. Alex doubted that, and let's found out, shall we?

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one – if I can just know you…" She could hear him figuring it out. She could hear him taking all of the clues together and putting the pieces together in a way no human could even begin to imagine. That was the brilliance of the Time Lords.

"None on Earth have knowledge of us." Wow, she was kind of full of herself. Alex rolled her eyes, did she _not _realize that there were _way _more planets out there than just Earth? Luckily, out of those planets, with all of those different species, they got one of the most knowledgeable.

"Then it's a good thing I'm here." Yes it is, Doctor. Alex thought. It's the best damn thing that could happen to Earth to have you here protecting us. "Now think, think, think…" At least he wasn't hitting his head this time. She _very _much approved of that. "Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy... ah, fourteen! That's it! Fourteen! The fourteen stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite!"

The witch let out an awful wail before disappearing. There was a moment for everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. "You," Alex said, tapping his back, "are truly amazing…" The Doctor turned back around to her and grinned. They ended up grinning at each other, giggling. "That was just awesome."

"What did you do?" Martha asked, once she got her own barring back.

"I named her." The Doctor explained. "The power of a name. That's _old _magic." You should know, she thought with a roll of her eyes. _The Doctor _was a strange name indeed, especially considering the fact it wasn't his real name. As much as Alex knew of the show, even _she _didn't know his real name.

"But there's no such thing as magic." No, of course not. Alex knew that it was all science, even what they believed to be _magic, _was no more than just a different type of science.

The Doctor explained just this, "Well, it's a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom."

"So, the Carrionites just chose words – instead of numbers. They could split the atom in the same way we could, but they'd use their words just like we would use numbers."

"Exactly, Allie. Good job." He squeezed her shoulders, proud that she was following. Alex bit the inside of her lip, trying not to smile to show how giddy she got when he showed his pride of her – or when he complimented her.

"What are they using their words for now?" Alex could feel the Doctor's feelings become sober, and she looked up at him.

"The end of the world." She swallowed, and her heart jumped into her throat. Oh… Oh, that's _really _not good at all.

-x-

They had ended up back at the inn. Shakespeare had to get ready for his newest play, but he wanted to know – just as much as Martha and Alex – what was the deal with the Carrionites was. The Doctor explained it like this, "The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend."

"Well, I'm going for real." Yeah, Alex agreed, I'd go for that answer too.

"But what do they want?" Martha asked.

"A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft." The Doctor leaned against the chair next to Alex's. Why did everyone want to take over Earth? Alex questioned. Seriously, what was so special about Earth that everyone seemed to want it?

"How?" Alex asked, looking up at the Time Lord. "I don't understand how they'd do it. It must be pretty powerful in order to wipe out all of us humans," She gestured towards the outside word – full of millions of people, with millions more to come. "Not to mention, it's like you said earlier. They use words, and that means that they'd need to pick the right words with the right sound, and ya know, all of that lovely jazz. But how are they going to do that? The words are going to have to be _precise _and that's going to take, like a genius or something –"

The Doctor's head snapped up, and he grinned at her. "Oh, brilliant Allie. That's it."

She frankly didn't know what he was talking about. She lifted her hands up, showing her confusion – not like she needed to, considering the look on her face was all that she needed. "Brilliant? What's brilliant? It?" None of that sentence made sense to her.

He grasped her head and kissed her forehead. That just made her skin tingle, and she _tried _to ignore how her heart skipped a couple of beats. "You're completely right, Allie. They would need precious words – words just at the right time, at the right moment." He then turned to the wordsmith – and suddenly Alex understood what he was talking about. In order for the words to work properly, they would need a genius. Alex knew no one who was better with words than William Shakespeare. "And I'm looking at the man with the words."

"Me? I've done nothing." Shakespeare defended, and Alex knew he wasn't seeing the whole picture. The Carrionites were acting like witches. In all aspects that _humans _understood, they were witches. With this in mind, Alex wouldn't be surprised if the Carrionites would easily be able to come up with a 'spell' that could have Shakespeare create the words without him even knowing it.

Something then occurred to Alex. "Hold on, last night when the Doctor and I had rushed into the room. You hadn't even realized that a Carrionite had been in your room. What were you doing? It looked like you had been sleeping or something."

"Finishing the play." Shakespeare corrected. Well fine, call it what you want, but Alex was sure she had seen him _sleeping_.

"What happens on the last page?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all funny and though provoking as usual – except those last few lines." Alex raised an eyebrow, what about them? "Funny thing is… I don't remember writing them." Her eyes suddenly widened. She didn't think about it, just clasped a hand onto the Doctor's wrist. At the same time, both of them realized what had happened.

"That it's."_ I knew it_! Alex called in her head. _I was right! They used him without even knowing it! Score one for the human for figuring it out – possibly – before the Time Lord_! Of course, she wouldn't hold her breath. The Doctor probably had figured it out before it – _but_, bright side was, she was probably the first human to figure it out. _Silver lining_. "They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won' – it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that."

She felt so on a roll that she jumped up. "Map! Need a map!" She rushed over to his desk and threw some things around before finding an old one. "Oooh, this looks weird." The Doctor came up behind her, and given his height difference, he was able to just snatch it up from behind her. She threw a look that hit him square between the shoulders. The Doctor spread out the map on the table. "Witches. Need to find the witches." Alex muttered under her breath. She looked on the maps, taking in account to each of the streets, before she asked. "Which street are we looking for?"

The Doctor turned towards her, and raised his eyebrow. "It happened no more than ten minutes ago, Allie."

Alex widened her eyes. "What on Earth makes you think I could remember that?"

"Take my word for it, Doctor." Martha jumped in. "She really couldn't remember something like that."

The Time Lord hadn't needed to tell her in the end, for he found it. "All Hallows Street. There it is." Alex leaned her head in, so that she could see it it.

She spoke up, "Are you sure? That looks more like All Lows Street." Stupid fancy cursive and it's stupid hard to read letters. "Or All Ows Streets."

"Ows street?" The Doctor mocked. She threw a look at him, but she got him since he looked down to make sure that the street was indeed the one they were talking about. "Yes, Allie, that's All Hallows Street. Just… Trust me."

"I do trust you." Alex lifted up her hands to show her surrender. "Just making sure."

"Okay, Martha and Allie, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop the play!" The Doctor instructed.

Alex saluted him, before her eyes widened. "Oh no wait, sorry you don't like salutes!" Her hands shot down. She mouthed one more 'sorry' to him.

"I'll do it." Shakespeare said, shaking the Doctor's hand. "All of these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing." More like _all of us_ know nothing, next to the Doctor. No human alive was smarter than the Doctor was.

"Oh, don't complain." Martha said goodheartedly.

"I'm not. It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor."

"Good luck, Shakespeare." The Doctor returned. He grabbed Alex's hand and they went off towards the door. "Once more unto the breech!"

"I like that." Shakespeare realized where the line came from. "Wait a minute… That's one of mine!"

"Oh, just shift!"

"Once more unto the breech!" Alex got so excited. "Oh my God, I _loved _that speech! It's such a _great _speech! Tom Hiddleston man, I mean he's just to die for – like drop-dead gorgeous I tell you. But _oh_," Alex put a hand over her heart and sighed dreamily. "When he preformed that speech in _The Hollow Crown_ adaption. Oh, it was just spectacular."

"Allie, we don't have time for this." He was speaking, naturally, of the fact that she had stopped running. She had gotten side tracked – which was the least she could have done, considering she was speaking about _the Tom Hiddleston_. "Come on," He grasped her hand to get her moving again. However, not two seconds as they were running down the stairs did he have to ask. "Who's Tom Hiddleston?" Alex just laughed.

-x-

Alex had warned the Doctor that now would have been the absolute worst time to get lost like they did last time. The Doctor assured her, that this time he was _one hundred percent positive _that he knew where he was going. She tried not to roll her eyes, but trusted him. After they actually turned onto the street did the American give him credit. This time he really did know where he had been going. The Doctor slowly looked carefully at each house, and Alex realized a dilemma. "Okay, so we knew which street, but…" She looked over at the Doctor. "Which house would it be on the street?"

This got the Doctor to pause. "Right…" He breathed out.

Martha was on a different page, apparently. "The thing is, though… am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at us – we're living proof." Okay, see now here Alex did understand enough of the show. Time was influx – she remembered enough of the show to remember he was constantly saying that. It wasn't a straight line, it was more a big, messy, giant ball. It was very possible to be born in say a year like 2006 and die in the year 1599. It might be strange and hard to follow, but Alex knew that it was indeed possible.

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?"

"A movie would help." Alex offered. "Movie, or book, or TV show. We humans are really good when you give those as analogies."

The Doctor snapped his fingers at her, "I know! _Back to the Future_! It's like _Back to the Future_!"

"The film?"

The Doctor became sarcastic. "No, the novelization. Yes, the film."

"Nice use of snark." Alex complimented.

The Doctor smiled at her. "Thank you." He turned back to Martha. "Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading away." Marta continued, and both brunets looked at her, and she realized. "Oh my God, are we going to fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race." He confirmed. "It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?" They turned back to the row of houses. Alex tugged on the Doctor's sleeve, and pointed to the house right in front of them when it opened on its own. She wanted to be shocked or scared, but she really couldn't. She's seen scarier stuff on TV. "Ah, make that _witch _house?"

It took Alex longer than it should have to get it. "Oh," She gave him a look. "Really? That was a _stupid _pun." He just chuckled, and Alex had to roll her eyes – but she did have a smile on, couldn't help it. Just on the inside was normal looking. It looked just like any house. "This can't be a witch's house, it's not scary enough –" She stopped herself when they walked into the next room. "Yeah, actually I take that back. This is proper, witch scary."

"Thank you." The three time travelers turned to see a young woman standing near them. Oh wow, was she one of the witches? Alex was surprised. She didn't look scary at all, in fact she was actually quite pretty. "We enjoy it enough."

"I take it we're expected." Alex felt a tug on her arm, and looked down confused to see a hand. She realized it was the Doctor's hand, and he pulled her behind him. Oh, right, making her safe. Alex felt pleased he'd think of that.

Martha moved before the alien could do the same for her. "Right then, it's my turn." Alex raised an eyebrow, peeking around the Doctor's arm. What was she going to do? "I know how to do this." She pointed to the Carrionite. "I name thee, Carrionite!" The witch let out a clearly mocking gasp, but there was no signs that anything happened. No wail or shriek, and no disappearing.

"Nice try, Martha." Alex figured was okay to say.

"What did I do wrong?" She turned to the Doctor. "Was it the finger?"

The Carrionite explained instead. "The power of a name works only once. Observe." She lifted up her finger and pointed to Martha. "I gaze upon these bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones." Whoa, she knew Martha's name without anyone telling her! She watched as her friend went falling backwards. The two brunets called out her name and rushed to her side as she fell to the ground.

"What have you done?" The Doctor cried out.

"Martha!" Alex tried to arouse her friend from this strange slumber. "Martha! Come on, wake up girl!"

The witch seemed irritated. "Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time." Alex looked over at the Doctor, and caught his eye. He nodded his head, confirming her thought. So, because Martha was a time traveler now, it saved her life. Wow, lucky indeed. Alex thought bemused. "How about we try it on a younger soul?" They turned to see that the witch now had Alex in her sights. She felt a chill run down her spine. She tried to reassure herself. She was a time traveler just like Martha was, that meant that the name would have just as much impact as it did on her friend.

She put on a brave face, nonetheless. "You can try. I don't think it'd do much good." She felt the Doctor's hand on hers, but she refused to look away from the Carrionite.

"I hear the sounds of thou departure, as I name thee Alex Harper." She tried not to wince, she really did. There was a pause, and nothing happened. Well, except for this weird sort of chill that went through her whole body. It caused her give a great shaking that she could feel down to her bones. The hairs on her body stood on end. She waited for her to fall unconscious, but nothing happened. She looked slowly over at the Doctor, before looking back at the Carrionite.

"Are you sure you did it right?"

The Carrionite frankly just looked insulted by that question. "Of course I did." She snapped. However, she became curious as she just looked at Alex. "How very strange. That is your name – and yet it had no effect. It is your name, _ah_…" The Carrionite leaned forward, and Alex couldn't help but lean back even with the distance already between them. "That is not your _real _name, it is just the name you have recently made. In a weird sort of panic, Alex locked up her real name. She made _sure _not to even so much as think it. After a long moment, the Carrionite huffed and turned to the last person she could have an effect on. "And for you, Sir Doctor!" She just pointed to him, but the Doctor didn't so much as blink. Alex couldn't help but be a little jealous. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches."

"The naming won't work on me." Like Alex said before, _no one _knows his real name. Even she didn't.

"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distance… Rose." Alex felt her heart jump. She felt this weird sort of electric charge that danced up her skin. She had to rub her hands down her biceps to try and cool down the reaction. Was that her feeling the Doctor's reaction? She looked over at the Time Lord, and she could almost see him straighten up just the slightest bit. She felt chills run down her spine, but it was a different kind of chill. She tried to take a deep breath, trying to suck in air. It felt for a strange sort of moment she was suffocating, but not like on the moon. She knew she was breathing – she felt so many conflicting emotions that for a second she couldn't tell what was up and what was down.

"Oh, bit mistake 'cause that name keeps me fighting!" The Doctor snapped as he stood up and charged towards the alien. Alex blinked a few times, it wasn't until the Time Lord stood right up in front of the Carrionite that she realized two things. One: The Doctor is _really_ tall. Two: That Carrionite is _really_ short. The Doctor had to crane his neck all the way down, chin almost touching his throat in order to look her in the eyes. Wow, dude, Alex though, is that what _we_ look like when the Doctor and I look at each other? "The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?"

The Carrionite put on a face and moved away from the Doctor. "The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness." Alex checked to make sure Martha was okay, one more time, before she stood up and walked over to the Doctor. She slowly put her hand out and touched his back lightly, to show she was there. She wasn't about to stand in front of him – she'd happily let him stand between them. She walked up so that she was behind him, and peeked her head out so that she could see.

"If that's the case, how'd you get out of that _deep darkness_?" She might have – _maybe _– mocked the Carrionite's tone of voice. The stupid alien woman threw her a nasty look, and she had to make a face in return. She felt the Doctor reach back – his arm grazing her chest – and tapped on her hip. She moved her head a bit so that she was hiding more behind the Doctor. She understood his warning, _don't antagonize her_.

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other." Well, that was obvious. Alex almost rolled her eyes. She remembered reading somewhere that Shakespeare was responsible for adding two-three _thousand _words to the English language. _Well, if the Carrionites were to pick someone for their uses – Shakespeare clearly was their man_.

"Shakespeare." Alex tried not to add _duh_, knowing the Time Lord probably wouldn't like that.

"His son perished." She continued on. "The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance." How horrible, using Shakespeare when he was at his worst for their own gain. When the Doctor asked how many there were, she answered. "Just the three. But the play will restore the rest." Seriously, why is it that villains felt the need to _pour out their entire plan to the good guys_? From her point of view – from all the shows she's seen – it has to be one of the worst ideas. Yet, _villains still do it_. Alex figured that at _some _point they'd figure it out. "Then the human race will be purged as pestilence." Well, that's a little insulting. Alex huffed, thinking of humans as nothing more than bugs. How rude! "And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic."

"Hmm…" The Doctor scratched the side of his face. He tapped on Alex's hip again, and she didn't understand what he wanted until he moved forward. Oh, right, _don't move_ was basically what he had been telling her. Well, fine, if that's what he wanted. She sighed out deeply but kept her feet firmly planted on the ground. "Busy schedule… But first you have to get past me." He stood now until he was face to face with her again. This time, due to the step she was on, she was now more at eye level with him.

She gained a seductive tone. Alex tried not to make a face. While she was all for flirting with the Doctor, since he was indeed gorgeous. "Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." Okay, yeah see she had to agree with the Carrionite on at least that. Seriously, the Doctor was just gorgeous. No questions or objections over on her side of the room.

The Doctor wasn't even the _least _bit affected. _Looks like there's one guy that actually uses his brain like he's supposed to_. She tried not to laugh at that. "Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." Unless it was Rose, Alex cackled in her mind. She couldn't help but smile and looked away for a moment to compose herself.

"Oh, we'll see." Alex saw her pull her hand away from the Doctor's hair – _gorgeous, pretty, sexy, thick hair that she just was such a sucker when a guy had hair like that_.

She saw the Time Lord start fingering his head, where her hand had just been. "What did you do?" Oh wait, Alex blinked, had she done something? Oh, curse her sometimes short attention span!

"Souvenir." She murmured, holding up the piece of hair that she had taken as if it was a prize she had received. _More like stole_, Alex rolled her eyes.

"Well, give it back!" The Doctor rushed towards her, but she threw out her hands. Alex winced as the windows sailed open, and she flew out them and hovered just out of reach. The Doctor reached the windowsill and took a moment to contemplate his next move. "Well, that's just cheating." He said, and Alex just couldn't help but giggle this time. Of all the things to say, she thought.

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing put _puppets_!" She withdrew a doll for them to see. Alex was suddenly getting a very bad feeling about all of this.

"Um… Doctor…"

Neither paid attention. "Now, you might call that magic… I'd call that a DNA replication module."

The Carrionite wasn't impressed. "What use is your science now?" She stabbed the doll viciously with the very scissors she had used to take the lock of hair. The Doctor cried out in pain, putting his hand over his chest before falling to the floor. The Carrionite just cackled as she soared away.

"Doctor!" Alex yelled. She rushed over to the Time Lord, crashing onto the floor next to him. Her knees ached, but she refused to let that distract her. She muttered the whole way. "Dude, I _tried _to get your attention. But you refused to listen to me… Idiot, I was getting a bad feeling and everything, and you know what they say about feelings like that. If it's a gut feeling, you don't ignore it – it's like Gibbs on NCIS always is going on about. His gut is _legendary_, let me tell you. You never question the gut. And I was getting that same sort of feeling, but you refused to listen and now look where it got you… _Oooh_…" She was panicking, and she knew it.

She always had a tendency to babble when she was panicking more than any other time. She rolled him over onto his back. "Um, right okay… CPR…" Dude, she was _not _prepared for this. "Maybe next time, you'll listen to me…" She grumbled about him being stupid, until she leaned down and put her cheek to his mouth. Martha came rushing over panicking as she had recently been doing. Alex just slowly sat back up, with pursued lips. "Dammit Doctor," she smacked his chest. "You have two hearts, you little jerk! What is wrong with you?!" Here she had been _genuinely _worried about him like a proper human being – and _he had been fine_!

"I promise Allie, I will always listen to you when you have a bad feeling." Well, okay that sort of made her feel better. "You talk a lot when you're panicking, don't you?" This time she raised an eyebrow, and just stared at him pointedly.

"So says the man that cannot physical stop talking." She shot back.

"Touché." He stood up, only to fall back down. Alex wasn't expecting the sudden weight, and landed on her knees again – almost breaking her ankle if she hadn't moved it at the last second. They both sort of gave a huff, and Alex whined. That had hurt! "Aaah…" The Doctor gave a worse sound than she had. Alex ended up with her arms around his chest, so he wouldn't end up just pushing her onto her back with his weight. Even if he was skinny as a _pole_, he was still heavier than she was. "I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope?"

"It's a miracle." Alex responded, not even thinking about it. "You know what else is a miracle? How I'm keeping you steady at this point." Alex felt all logic dictated that with him draped so heavily across her, they both should be on the ground.

"Not important Allie," Oh right, priorities. "I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me in the chest!" He moved himself around, so that his chest was open. Alex hesitated – hitting's a bit drastic don't you think? – so Martha did it first. She gave a nice good, open fisted punch. He groaned in pain, "Other side!" His voice went up an octave.

"Oh, alright…" Alex mimicked her friend and punched the Doctor in the chest. She did it to what she hoped was where the other heart was. She gave him as good of a punch as she could – hesitating for the barest of seconds only when she was just about to hit him.

The Doctor – _finally _– took his weight off of Alex. He put his hands onto the ground, leaving his back wide open. "On the back! On the back!" Martha took her turn, and this time put her hands together to give him a nice hard punch. "Left a bit!" Oh, Alex rolled her eyes, they did _not _have time for this. Alex did it, giving it all she had – she might have been taking her frustration out just a _tiny _bit.

He lifted himself up onto his knees, and his back cracked as he rolled his shoulders. "Lovely!" He stood up. "There we go! Ba-da-boom!" Both women followed his lead and got up with him. "Well, what are you standing there for?" Waiting for _someone _to get his hearts in check, Alex thought cheekily. The alien didn't give her a chance to speak her snark. "Come on! The Globe!"

He took off towards the door, with Martha and Alex in tow. "Doctor!" The brunette called after him, breathless. "Legs!" He stopped, and Alex could _hear _the screeching of his feet as he slide across the ground for a moment. He took off towards her, and in one smooth movement, grabbed her arm and took off again. Yes, because _this _is so much better. Now, she was just being tugged along and every few minutes her arm would get a painful tug. Stupid Time Lord, did he not understand what she had been talking about? Wait a minute… "Doctor, are we going the wrong way?" She could have sworn they had come the opposite way…

"No, we're not!" Well okay, she trusted the Doctor. Anyways, she couldn't remember anything well enough to trust her own judgment. They ran across the street until the Doctor stopped again. Alex made a startled noise – pretty much a squeak, not very dignified at all – as the Time Lord ended up using her arm to twirling her 180 degrees. "We're going to the wrong way!"

"Wait a minute, I had been _right_…?" She had every right to be shocked. "I figured I would have been right about so many others things that _this_…" She let out another shameful noise as he took off again. Her arm almost popped out of its socket.

"You're right about a lot of things, Allie." The Doctor defended. "Don't sell yourself short."

"But that's not what I'm talking about." Alex tried to explain, even though she was struggling to breathe correctly and speak at the same time. Stupid Doctor making it look so _easy_. "I just didn't think I could be right about something that had to do with memory." While he didn't answer, she could see on his face that he could see her point. "Well, if that's true…"

"Let's not go too far, Allie…"

"Wow, you knew what I was thinking?"

He gave her a look. "Yeah. Don't go there." Well fine, she huffed. Except that gave her little breathing, and she almost choked. No, bad idea, _bad idea_! Alex scolded herself. Breathing properly _good idea_. Just as they turned a corner, they heard screaming. Alex held her hand over her eyes, and could see a red sort of glow – bright as could be – coming from the Globe Theatre. She could hear someone saying 'I told you' but ignored it.

More important things to focus on.

"Stage door!" The Doctor yelled to them. He took off, still holding onto Alex's hand. The smallest brunette winced each time the lightning and thunder would clap dangerously over their heads. They got their without any problems, which was good. The Doctor threw the door open and they ended up walking in to see Shakespeare sitting there, nursing his head. The Doctor turned mocking. "Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, _Stop the play_!"

"I hit my head." He sure sounded like it. All distance and a little bit dazed.

"Well don't just sit there and rub at it. Your hair will fall out if you do." Jesus, did she really just say that? She tried not to make a face. There was screaming out in the front. "Oh! Enter stage left!" Reversing the hold of their hands, Alex dragged the Doctor out to the stage. "Over there!" She pointed over to one of the high booths. There the three witches cackled as a crystal ball they were holding seemed to be the source of all the chaos.

"The Doctor! He lives!" Alex could barely hear them with the wind howling. "Then watch this world become a blasted heath! They come! They come!" Oh boy… Alex thought, her shoulders squaring. Here we go… The Carrionites appeared with light and sound and flew around the Globe. They cackled and crowed at all of the humans.

The Doctor let go of Alex's hand, and that got her attention. She watched as he grabbed onto Shakespeare's shoulder. "Come on, Will! History needs you!"

They had an exchange, as the Doctor tried to encourage Shakespeare to use his own words against the Carrionites. He clearly wasn't confident, finally telling the Doctor, "But these Carrionite phrases, they need such precision!"

Oh, for God's sake. They were running on limited time. If words were power to the Carrionites, then clearly Shakespeare was the man to do. She pushed the Doctor aside, and leaned in to speak to him. One writer to another. "You have to trust yourself. Think back to when you're locked up in your room. Think about how you sit there, in front of a black paper, waiting for the words to come. You don't control the words that come to you, they just do. It's like magic. It's like the best magic that you could think of. These stories, these _words _– they take you on an adventure – with characters that lead the way. You're not the leader of the worlds, and places, and characters. It's them that lead you. That show you where you want to go. You just pick the perfect words in order to justify them and their stories as best as you possibly can. _That _is what you do, William Shakespeare. You pick those words. Now, improvise. Do what you do best, and justify this world and these people right in front of you with the proper words to send the Carrionites back to where they came from."

She saw it in his eyes. He was motivated, and the Doctor and her stepped back to let the bard do exactly what he always did best. "Beautiful, Allie." She turned to see him so close to her face, in order for her to properly hear him. "_This _is what you do. This is how you're smart. Never forget that." She couldn't help but smile so wide her cheeks hurt.

"Close up this this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!" There it was, Alex thought with joy. This was William Shakespeare at his best. The Carrionites were fools to mess with the wordsmith who uses words at their shinning best. "Foul Carrionite specters, cease your show! Between the points..." He turned to the Doctor, and filled in the numbers when he got them. "7-6-1-3-9-0! And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." He looked at him again, this time the Doctor didn't have the proper answer. He turned to Alex, and she just shrugged – as if she would have the right word.

Martha just threw out a word. "Expelliarmus!" Alex ended up laughing as Shakespeare used that word. Oh, she couldn't help it. Expelliarmus, a word that was used as a spell in the _Harry Potter _books. Ironic, because David Tennant would play Barty Crouch Jr. in the fourth movie. Oh God, that just made her laugh harder.

"Good old J.K.!" The Doctor grinned, clearly not understand what exactly _she _found so funny. The Carrionites that were running amuck up in the skies screamed and shrieked. The three witches in the booth ended up screaming as well.

"Ow! Ow! What the hell?! Ow! Dammit, that _hurt_!"

Alex was jumping around as she got a nasty paper right across the back of her hand. She was yelling and cursing as the papers – the papers that had _viciously attacked her_ – went up with the tornado that was sucking up the Carrionites. "'Loves Labour's Won'. There it goes." Stupid paper, she grumbled. Stupid paper attacked her. Oh god, look at this, now she was bleeding!

She tried to put pressure on it, and hissed and bit her lip. It hurt like _hell_! She bit her lip harder, trying to distract her brain from the pain in her hand. The wind suddenly stopped as the skies cleared. There was a unanimous sigh of relief before clapping started. Alex took off after the Doctor, not even glancing at her friend. "Doctor," she called to him, as she followed him. She found him in the booth, holding the crystal ball. With a look over his shoulder and she saw that the three Carrionites were trapped in there. "Doctor," She called again and this time he turned to her, she held out her hand. "The name Doctor isn't just fictitious, right? You're a medical doctor too, right?"

He took a look at her hand, and sighed. "Allie, how did you do that to yourself?"

She felt the need to defend herself, "Hey, it wasn't me. It was the papers!" She point out into the open air in front of them. "They _attacked _me, Doctor!" He just quirked his lips at her, and she pouted at his mocking face. "Fine, if you don't want to help..." She tried to pull her hand away but the Doctor gripped it tighter.

"Ah, ah, ah." The Doctor corrected, and she felt like a dog. She would have responded to that if he hadn't continued. "I never said that, Allie." He took a look at her wound more properly. He had to probe it a bit, and she winced as he moved the tender skin around. He reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out handkerchief. He gently pressed it to her wound, and she couldn't help but make a whine at the pain. "I'm sorry," even now he sounded so sincere.

It made her startled, and she looked up to see that he was indeed sincere. Alex's eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you have that look on your face, silly?" She reached up with her free hand and ran it across his glabella, trying to smooth it out. "It wasn't like _you _threw those papers at me! I was just standing in the wrong place!" Alex laughed, and cupped the back of her neck. "Silly me and my weird clumsy luck." The Doctor quirked a smile, and she was thankful that his sad look went away. She didn't like the Doctor sad, it made her sad. "I like you happy." She announced, and he looked up at her. "You look so much better happy, than sad." She smiled up at him softly, and he just looked at her for a moment.

In that moment, so much passed between the two of them and neither one of them said a word.

-x-

It was the next morning, and everyone had gotten a good night sleep. Alex was pretty much bouncing around the Globe. She wanted to make sure she got a look at every single inch she could of this place. She twirled around having fun...

Until the back of her feet caught onto a box and she ended up falling backwards with a loud noise. The air left her lungs the moment of impact, and it took her a minute to compose herself. In that moment, the Doctor's face came into view. Even upside, she could tell he wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Took a tumble?" He sounded almost sympathetic, but in that mocking sort of way.

Frankly, she was a little irritated. "No, I'm fine, thanks for asking." She wheezed out her words. "Don't try and help me up at all..." The Doctor grinned at her as she heaved herself up to at least sit. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her lungs with oxygen. She then got herself up, and turned around, ready to begin the proper snarking. She could see the Doctor was prepared too – each of them had a proper snarky grin on their face.

However, the moment she turned to get a proper look at him she lost all of her air again this time as she puffed all of her air out. She put her hands on her knees as laughter exited her mouth. "What?" The Doctor asked indignantly. She couldn't speak, her face turning red. She tried to hold a hand over her face, but her laughter still came though.

"Oh God..." She gasped, in between her laughter. "What are you _wearing _around your _neck_?" Taking another look at it caused her to double over again.

He fixed it and grew offended. "It's a ruff collar." He looked so _ridiculously _stupid with that thing on. It clashed comically with his jacket and suit.

"You look stupid, Doctor!" He grumbled as he walked away, rolling his eyes. She was able to catch her breath and jogged over to him. "Wait, wait, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"No you're not." He threw her a look.

"I'm really not." She replied with a grin and some more laughter. They exited the props room and entered onto the stage. Alex gave a wolf whistle. When Martha looked over, she waggled her eyebrows. "Had to wait until we were alone, eh, Martha?"

She scoffed. "Shut up, Alex." The woman just laughed.

"Good props store back there!" The Doctor commented. "I'm not sure about this though," he pulled up the animal skull. She was reminded of the animal skulls that had become cliché when you were watching a movie and it took place in the west. You would always see that animal bone head.

Alex thought about it, and she realized it made no sense. Why did you only see the _head _what would happen to the rest of the body? Other animals might have eaten it, sure, but where would the bones go? If the animals would have taken the bones of the body to eat, why not take the head instead? Not to mention, why was the animal bone had always so clean? If an animal ate it, then there would still be scraps... Just never made any sense.

"Reminds me a Sycorax."

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well." Her eyes widened. Dude, _wait just on moment_! When she had first heard the word Sycorax from a _Christmas Invasion_, she had thought it sounded familiar. Once Shakespeare said that, it all clicked – _Sycorax was an unseen character in one of his plays_. He actually _uses _that word! He actually takes it from the Doctor!

Alex turned her head away, and put a hand onto her mouth to hold back her squeal of joy. Oh, she was just _loving _everything right about now. "I should be on 10 percent. How's your head?"

"Still aching."

Alex took the opportunity to fix one small thing. "Ya know, the Doctor has just the thing," she said conversationally. She had to bend the Doctor backwards in order to take the ruff collar off, but she got it. The Doctor made a noise when he was suddenly being yanked backwards. He made himself stand straight, and rubbed his neck – she had yanked his jacket in order to reach. Alex ignored the big baby Time Lord as she fixed the ruff collar on his neck. She winked at Martha behind the wordsmith's back. "It's sorta like a neck brace. Should help keep your head steady and stuff." She then took a look when it was properly in place and had to grin. "_Although_, it looks good on you. You might want to think about keeping it."

"What about the play?" Martha asked.

The Doctor answered. "Gone. We looked all over," Well actually, it was more like the Doctor looked, and Alex kind of just ran around like a little kid behind his back. "Every single copy of 'Loves Labour's Won' went up in the sky."

"My lost masterpiece." Alex patted him on the back, and resisted the urge to tell him about how he really shouldn't worry. With all of the masterpieces that were to come, this was only a small set back. _Time lines, woman, remember that_...

"You could write it up again." Martha offered.

The Doctor thought better of that. "Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should stay forgotten."

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my precious boy – my precious Hamnet."

Alex had been smiling, happy to know that Shakespeare was moving on to more plays. Until, of course, he said his son's name. Her smile was gone within an instant. She whirled around to the Doctor, "Ham_net_?" She whispered to him in shock. He grinned at her. "Ham... _Net_...?"

Martha was trying to get over the same shock. "Hamnet?"

"That's him." Shakespeare was never going to understand why they were giving such a bizarre reaction.

"I'm sorry, but I just need to really make sure. You said Hamnet... Like... Ham_net_?" Alex put a hand to her forehead, just completely gobsmacked.

"What's wrong with that?" Alex threw up her hands. There was _nothing _wrong with that name. No, absolutely nothing wrong at all. She put a hand up again to her now spinning head.

"Anyway," The Doctor brought attention away from the astounded women. "Time were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot," He held up the crystal ball with the trapped Carrionites in it, "can scream for all eternity. I've gotta take Martha and Allie back to Freedonia."

"You mean travel on through time and space?" Shakespeare correctly. There was a pause, and Alex's eyebrows shot up. Dude, she thought, he said that like he was talking about the weather!

"You what?" The Doctor asked, just as amazed.

"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Martha and Alex here are from the future." See, and there it was again. That completely calm conversational tone. Dude was _chill_. "It's not hard to work out." For you, Mr. Genius, maybe.

"That's... incredible. You are incredible." The Doctor complimented, and Alex felt like it fell short to what Shakespeare was.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Now, Alex, I know you don't like the attention, but know I have a sonnet just for you." He winked at her, and no she wasn't blushing... No, of course not! She looked away, and could feel her cheeks burn. She smacked the Doctor in the arm, she could _hear _him laughing at her in his stupid head. "For you, Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's dream?" Alex whirled around and her mouth was on the ground at this point. Dude! Sonnet 18! That has to be one of his most famous of sonnets! "Thou art more lovely and more temperate –"

"Will! Will!" Alex was just so disappointed that Shakespeare was cut off. Everyone turned to see two of Will's friends – she remembered them now, they were two of the actors from last night – rush over to them. "You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!"

"We're the talk of the town!" The other one was saying, his words starting just as the other's ended. "She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again!"

Alex raised a hand. "Um, yeah, gentlemen, who exactly are we talking about?" It felt appropriate to be given context, she felt.

"Her majesty!" One of them emphasized. He made it sound like it should have been obvious. _Well_, excuse her American and 21st century nature, good sir! "She's here!"

"Queen Elizabeth I!" The Doctor was just so excited. To be fair, so was Alex, who jumped up and down with a squeal.

"Doctor! Alex!" The brunette landed on her feet, and like a switch became confused and turned to the Doctor before looking back at the queen, and pointing to herself. Surely, she meant another Alex – or maybe was confusing her with someone else – she had never met Queen Elizabeth before.

"What?" The Doctor was just as confused as Alex was.

"My sworn enemy!"

"Sworn what now?" Alex leaned forward, maybe she was hearing things again. She had a tendency to have that happen. Sometimes, she could have sworn she was really an old woman.

"What?" Now the Doctor was _really _confused.

"Off with their heads!"

"_Hey_!" Alex threw her hands up. "Now wait just a damn minute –" The Doctor just let out another 'what'. Useless man, that's what he was right now. She whirled around when she saw that the guards were already after them. "Forget _what_, Doctor?" She mocked his tone for a moment. "Let's get out of here because let me tell you, I have a hard enough time keeping my head as it is – with my crappy memory and all – If I were to loose my head, all hell would break loose!" She'd end up losing her head if it got chopped off, honestly. She turned and gave a salute to the famous bard. "Goodbye William Shakespeare, now remember!" She held out a finger. "Be brilliant!"

She then rushed off, with the Doctor right in front of her. Martha said her goodbyes to Shakespeare and was able to catch up with them. They went as fast as they could, dodging and weaving through people across the street as they rushed back towards the TARDIS. "Stop in the name of the Queen!" Well, good thing she was American then, wasn't it? She didn't have to answer to the Queen of England if she wasn't _English_, now did she?

"What have either of you done to upset her?" Martha had to ask as they ran.

"How are _we _supposed to know?" Alex threw back. "Martha, I've _just _started traveling with the Doctor. Whatever it is, clearly is in the future for us." She groaned. "Only problem with time travel, can never keep it straight in your head."

"You don't know the half of it, Allie." The Doctor commented. "That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out." He unlocked the TARDIS, and let Martha through. "You with me, Allie?"

"Of course." Her tone made it sound as if he should have already figured it out. "Think about it, she's angry at both of us. Means I'm still traveling with you up until that point!" She stuck out her tongue. "Looks like you'll _never _get rid of me!" She cackled manically and entered the TARDIS. "Hello darling!" She called to the precious ship. "We're back! Did you have a good time?"

"You know she can't answer you, right?" Martha pointed out.

Alex waved a hand, "Ignore her," she whispered to the ship as she patted the console with care. "I know you'll communicate when you're ready, eh?" The TARDIS hummed underneath her hand. "Okay! Next adventure!" Alex didn't even bother to hide her excitement. She couldn't have a better life than this.

And this wasn't even the _half _of what she would go through.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Has not been looked over. All mistakes are mine.**

Alex took a deep breath. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but she enjoyed the smell of the TARDIS. Although, that might also be the Doctor's scent. Even from the distance she had – a respectable, strictly friends – she could smell what she believed had to be his cologne. It smelled fine, she had to admit. It smelled _mighty _fine indeed. She leaned back against her hands on the console, and just looked around the spectacular ship. There was still some part of her that couldn't quite believe where she was.

She was now Alex Harper, traveling companion of the Doctor – Tenth Doctor, one of her absolute favorites of his regenerations. Well, not _technically _traveling companion, but she was being hopeful. Judging by his treatment of her – especially after their little talk in Elizabethan England – he seemed to really enjoy her company. That made her feel grand, she had to admit. "I want to go to the ocean at some point, and I also want to see Paris. I want to see a crystallized plant – one exists, doesn't it? Oh yeah, and for the ocean one, pirates would be a cool thing to experience. I would also _love _to go on a cruise – but not a human one, I want to experience an _outer space _cruise." She was listing off the different places she would like to go with the Doctor – as his companion. Another good sign was he never corrected about how he original said it was only one trip. He just grinned, nodding his in approval to the ones he especially likes. "Oh!" She snapped her fingers, pointing to him. "And I want to see a planet with _two _suns – at least! If they're more, than I am totally ready for them. But specifically, I want to see a planet with two suns."

The Doctor gave his biggest approval to the last one. "Oh, Allie, there are so many planets I can take you to see that."

Alex bit her lip, but a grin still appeared. She smacked his arm a few good times out of excitement. "I can't believe I'm in the TARDIS! All of time and space, Doctor! I'm so _spoiled _right now!" There was just so much they could do, if felt like they would never get done. On this occasion, that was a _fantastic _feeling. "I mean, _all _of time and space… That's just… _whoa_…" She faced the palms of her hands to her head, and then had them expand outwards – a sign of her mind exploding. "There are so many _choices_!" She didn't even know where to begin.

The Doctor's grin widened. "I know the feeling, Allie." He then turned to his other _not_-companion – may have been just a bit of sarcasm there. "Just one trip. 'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home."

"No!" Alex whined, throwing her arms around his. "We can't go back! I don't want to! I'm having so much fun with you!"

He held up a finger, "Ah, _but _let me finish, Allie… I was going to say about how we could – stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future." He turned back to Martha. "How do you fancy that?"

"No complaints from me!" Martha said thrilled.

"Yes! Sweet! No going home!" She ended up throwing her arms around the Doctor. Her heels gave her height, but she was still so stupidly short compared to him. He didn't seem to mind, he wrapped his arms around her skinny waist and lifted her up so they could spin. Once she was put back down did she look at him properly. "Where can we go?" If anyone had a good idea as to where and start with all of time and space, it would be the time traveling expert standing before her.

"How about a different planet, eh Allie? Just like you were talking about." The Doctor grinned at her slyly, clearing enjoying her excitement.

She did not disappoint. "Oh _awesome_! The future _and _a different planet! That's going to be so –!" She had to cut herself off, not even able to begin to think of a proper word that would express how she was feeling. She ended up just throwing her arms around his shoulders again, and they hugged. "Oh…" She held out the word to encase multiply syllables. "This is going to be so _good_!"

"Can we go to yours?" Alex's smile was gone the moment she heard those words. She didn't even realize she had tightened her grip on the Doctor, before letting her arms fall across his chest. She had to swallow. She leaned back away slowly, feeding off of the Doctor's despair. It was thick, so dense that she could almost _taste _it. Her lip trembled, and she couldn't bear to look at the Time Lord. She knew that if she did, she'd cry – she _knew _it.

It didn't seem the Doctor could look at either of them. He eased himself away from Alex, turning to the console of his ship, giving him something to do that would keep him occupied from the humans. She could feel him slowly inching back inside of himself – slowly crawling away from them so that he could get somewhere safe. "Ahh, there's plenty of other places!"

Martha didn't seem to pick up on the Doctor's emotions. "Come on, though! I mean, planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look!" Alex couldn't understand how Martha could be so oblivious. The Doctor's emotions were so heavy, they blanketed over her skin and left her feeling numb. She didn't even mean to but ended up staring at his back. His shoulders were tense, she could feel it more than see it. She could feel it as if her own shoulders were tense – although, she wouldn't be surprised if she was indeed mimicking him. His emotions made her want to hide, for some reason. They made her want to hide until they stopped.

She blinked when her hand came into contact with something warm and solid. She looked down at the small of the Doctor's back to see that she had lifted up a hand to press it against him gently. "What's it like…?" Her voice was small, as if she were a child, and her voice was hoarse. It trembled just the slightest bit, her trying to keep her tears in. She ran her hand up his back, following the movement. It rested against his trapezius muscle. She felt it flex beneath her touch. It was just slight, but she could see his shoulders bunch up for a second. She just stared at her hand – the hand that was covered in white gauze, the hand that the Doctor had fixed up after she had gotten that horrible paper cut from 'Loves Labour's Won'.

The Doctor turned towards her, and those liquid brown eyes encased her very soul. She lost her breath for a second. She opened her mouth, just slightly, as if she wanted to speak. Words refused to form in her throat for she knew that there was nothing she could say that would make it better. "Well, it's beautiful, yeah…" He was speaking, and it sounded distant, like she was hearing him from across the room. She had no doubt that it was indeed beautiful, and she smiled sadly up at him. Her view was becoming blurry as it became harder to hold in her tears.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" Martha had her back turned to them. She was lost within her cheerful imagination. She hadn't noticed the moment passing between Alex and the Doctor.

It was like they were in their own world. A small world where it was just the two of them. The Time Lord didn't take his eyes off of Alex, and she had to consciously remember to breathe. The weight within his eyes was so heartbreaking. He was just so sad, and lonely, and in such despair. She ran her hand down his back, slowly. It felt rough and uneven, as the gauze continued to catch on his jacket slightly. She stopped above the tailbone, and then she went back up in one movement. She didn't know what else to do – she knew that there was nothing else she could do.

"Suppose it is." The Doctor said faintly, both of them so caught up in the other's eyes. It was so enchanting in some ways. Both of their eyes were so open to the other person, in a way that neither of them had ever experienced.

"Great big temples and cathedrals!"

_Big and pretty_? Alex mouthed to him. She didn't have enough strength in his eyes to speak up – to give herself a voice. Her other hand came to hover just above his arm, her fingers brushing lightly against the inside of his elbow. After a moment or two of hesitation, she rested her hand there, her fingers trailing back and forth and all around in different shapes. "Yeah…" The Doctor didn't seem to have enough conscious energy to speak any more than that.

Alex swallowed and took a deep breath, licking her lips. It took her a few tries to speak up – to properly use her voice. "Planets? Lots of planets and suns in the sky?" She wasn't nearly as talkative as she would have been. So caught up in the Doctor's eyes, and his emotions, that everything seemed to become a little less important. Her whole view on the world narrowed down to the Doctor with his sad and beautiful eyes with his sad and beautiful life.

"The sky's burnt orange," It felt like he was talking to just her. It was just the two of them. No TARDIS. No Martha. No universe around them. Just them in a small little bubble. "With the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shinning under the twin suns. Beyond that," The Doctor turned away, and even with his eyes away from her – giving her a chance to breathe easier – she still felt enthralled by his words. "The mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow."

She could see it. She could, with his description and her imagination she could see it. She could see the planet, and she closed her eyes to soak it all up. Even in her imagination, she gave that planet the beauty, and might, and wonder that it deserved. Her hand fell from the Doctor's back and landed down next to her. Her other hand stayed on his elbow, and started tracing out the image she could see so clearly in her head.

"Can we go there?"

Alex opened her eyes, and it felt like everything came back to her. She now could hear the TARDIS engines. She could now see the console with its flashes of light, and the color of the ceiling lights. She was now back in the TARDIS, with Martha just next to the Doctor on the other side. The universe outside of those wooden doors, waiting to be explored. She took in a stuttering breath, feeling a little bit woozy. She felt a movement of her hand, and turned to see the Doctor was lifting up her hand.

He turned away from Martha, and he pressed his mouth to her knuckles. This was a gesture only for her. He didn't kiss her fingers, but she felt it. She felt him mouth something, with such a look on his face that it made her tear up again. He dropped her hand and started to move around the console.

_Thank you_. He had said to her, and only her.

"Naah!" She blinked, caught off guard by the Doctor's sudden volume. "Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead…" He began to dance around the console, but Alex couldn't quite shake away her emotions – and she realized that the Doctor hadn't either. "Give us a good proper smile, Allie." He said to her quietly.

She responded without a second thought. "Only if you do, too." He looked up at her, as if he was startled, but she held her ground on this. There was a moment, before the Doctor's lips turned up and he gave her a smile – a smile she could feel down to her bones. A smile that she knew was indeed genuine. So genuine that she just had to respond. She felt her lips mimic his, and while neither of their smiles were very big, they were genuine and they were proper. That was the only thing they required from each other.

"This is much better! Year five billion and fifty three, planet New Earth!" New Earth, Alex thought, falling back into her old self. Sweet, they were going to their Earth, but their Earth in the future – that in some ways sounded like it _wasn't _their Earth. Sweet, stepping out of our comfort zone with planets, but still very much familiar enough for them. She approved. "Second hope for mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world," Wow, that was a long ways away, she thought amused. "And we're slap bang in the middle of New New York."

"That's not very creative," Alex protested. New New York just sounded stupid – why couldn't they come up with something better?

"Well clearly, they didn't have _you _there to help them with the names." The Doctor responded with sarcasm. Alex threw a playful pout his way. "Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York."

"Dude, I have too…" She applauded him. "I could never make my tongue behave that well."

The Doctor bowed, "It' one of the most dazzling cities ever built." The Doctor threw on his coat, and led the two eager humans towards the doors.

"_Ah_!" Alex threw herself back into the TARDIS when she felt the first signs of rain. "Dammit Doctor!"

"What?" He asked indignant – _the man that he was_.

"I am _not _getting wet!" She complained, stopping her foot. "Look my outfit! This is my _favorite _sweater! It's more style than function, so clearly _it is not made to get wet_! Not to mention, I'd end up just becoming cold and wet within minutes! Also! I have make up on! I am _not _about to go out there and end up looking like a raccoon – or something equally worse – because my mascara starts running!"

She whirled around on her heels, and crossed her arms. She wasn't about to go out there. Either they were going to do this adventure without her – and she'd just have time to explore the TARDIS – or, the Doctor was going to take them somewhere else. "Oh come on, Allie." He sounded so exasperated and she felt a little irritated that he thought he could use that tone of voice with her. She didn't move and he sighed, "You can find a coat in the closet." He gave her a series of directions that only another genius could follow. She turned around and looked at him blankly. "What in God's name makes you think _I _can remember that?" She was calm when she spoke this.

The Doctor paused, and she saw on his face that he was realizing what she was talking about. "Let me just show you." Yeah, that would be best. He led her through the TARDIS, and was just bewildered that even _he _could remember how to get to the closet. After a few minutes, the Doctor led her up some stairs, and she gasped in delight.

"_This is the best closet I have ever seen_!" It was huge, the closet took up pretty much the whole floor. She didn't even let the Doctor start before she was off into the rows upon rows of clothes.

"Allie!" He called after her. "You can't take forever in here! We have New Earth to explore!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" She muttered. She looked behind her to see that the Doctor wasn't in sight anymore. "Okay, so TARDIS…" She whispered, just to make sure that it was only between the two of them. "What do _you _think I should wear?" She felt a breeze flow through the closet, and looked to see that only one piece of clothing was moving with it. All of the other clothing stayed stationary. She was indeed a _bit _freaked about by that, but shrugged it off eventually – she _had _asked the TARDIS for her opinion.

She lifted up the jacket and saw it was a nice blue leather jacket – oasis she believed. She could have sworn she had seen it somewhere before, but decided not to let it bother her too much. She ended up with that feeling way too much, nowadays. She slipped on the coat, to make sure it fit properly and stuff, and decided that she did like how it looked. "What do you think, Doctor?" She asked, as she walked into the front of the closet.

She paused when she saw he was gone. "Allie! Over here!"

She turned and started to walk where she saw his voice was. "Where?"

"Over here!"

They ended up reenacting what every movie seemed to do. They kept popping up in different places, while the other person was exactly where they had just been. It took them over a dozen times before Alex announced that she would just stay put near the front of the closet – and the Doctor was to move.

She was laughing with him as he finally came into view. "That was so ridiculous!" She threw her arms out.

"I know –!" His trailed off sharply when he saw the jacket she was wearing.

She noticed him staring and twirled so he could get a good view. "What do you think? I actually like it… It's surprisingly comfortable. And it's leather, so it'll be fine against the rain." She bit her lip, waiting for him to say what he thought. Her smile slowly started to diminish the more he kept quiet. He just continued to stare and stare at her jacket. "Um… Doctor…?" She became hesitant and suddenly felt very exposed. She crossed her arms over her chest, hunching her shoulders in. She took a few steps back. "What's wrong?"

He snapped out of it so suddenly it startled her. "Where did you get that jacket?"

"I found it…" She muttered, looking away from him. Alex still felt way too uncomfortable. "The TARDIS gave it to me."

"Gave…?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah…" She shifted from foot to foot. "I asked her what she thought would look best on me – since I didn't have Martha here. And she pointed this jacket out – in her own way, ya know?" She wasn't sure what his deal was. "If you don't like it, you can just _say_, Doctor. I'm a big girl, I can handle it." She replied a bit hotly.

He winced, "No, Allie, I just…"

She was already walking past him, "I'll go get another jacket it if bothers you so much…"

He grabbed onto her arm and spun her around so she was facing him. "No!" They both looked startled, and the Doctor looked properly regretful. "I'm sorry, no, please don't. It's… It's a lovely jacket on you." He ran it down her shoulder. The Doctor looked at her, but she could see he wasn't _looking _at her, but looking right through her. She felt a sort of chill run down her spine, and her stomach churned.

It then clicked.

The jacket she was wearing, she knew why it looked so familiar.

Instantly, she wanted to get it off her right away. She was already pulling it off her shoulders, pushing his hand off her shoulder roughly. "I'm taking it off…"

"What… Allie…"

"No!" She whirled around to him, and brandished a finger at him. "I am _Alex_! I am not Rose, Doctor. I do not want to wear this jacket because _you _want to have some reminder of Rose! I will not accept that!" She felt tears come to her eyes. "Because then you'll forgot me. All I will be is your reminder of Rose, and _I _don't want that. You're forget all about me – all about _Allie_," She used it remind him of his nickname for her. "So I won't, I won't wear her jacket just because you want Rose back."

The Doctor stared at her sadly, and she could feel her bottom lip trembling. She looked over to where she had angrily thrown the jacket away. It now laid limply across one of the racks of clothing. She sighed softly and gingerly picked up the coat. "I'll put it back where it was before." She said, just as softly, taking care with her handling of the jacket before walking back down the row. "Thanks TARDIS," she muttered a bit harshly. She felt something smack the back of her leg and winced. She knew it was the TARDIS' way of scolding her. "Sorry," she muttered. "It wasn't you. It was just…" She sniffed a bit. She just snatched up a large and black cardigan style shrug sweater. She knew it was a bit redundant to put on a sweater over another one – but right now she was making a point.

She walked back over to the Doctor, and didn't even look at him. "Come on, Martha's waiting for us."

"Allie, Allie…" He caught her elbow, but this time she fought him. "Allie, please…"

"No. I don't want to hear it." She turned to him and her eyes were misty. "Don't you dare even think that I don't get it! I do, Doctor, you _know _that I do. But I don't want to be forgotten…" Her voice lowered in a whisper. "That's scary…" She couldn't be mad at him for long, knowing what he was going through. "But…" She put a hand to his chest. "I do know what it's like." She whispered.

His face was twisted in pain when she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Allie…" He just sounded so guilty. She smiled up at him a bit, enough to show she wasn't mad anymore. He reached out and pulled her towards him. She didn't hug him back, a little surprised. Her face pressed into his shoulder, and her hand remained over his chest. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. But you're right." She could feel that the tears were close to over following, and she did want she could not to let them. "You are so right. I shouldn't do that to you. I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to. I promise I won't, Allie. I promise you'll always be _Allie _to me."

She let that sink in for a minute. "Always?" She asked in a small voice.

"Always." He confirmed, his face in her hair. Alex finally moved her arms, and dragged them from underneath his arms and pressed her hands to his shoulder blades. They rocked back and forth for a moment or two. "Okay," They finally broke the hug and the Doctor smiled down at her – genuine, just like before. She returned it with the same smile. "Let's go see New New York!"

Alex's grin grew twice the size at the excitement. "Race you!" She took off just as she said that and down the stairs.

"Oi! Allie, you're cheating!"

"I am not! You're just slow!" With her head start, she was able to get to the console room _way _before the alien was. "Hey Martha! We're all good now!" She noticed an umbrella rack that wasn't there before, right behind her friend. "Oh, TARDIS, how nice of you! You didn't have to do that." As she spoke this, she did grab a nice ordinary yellow umbrella. Alex took a proper look at it once she had it in her hands. It looked like the yellow umbrella that Ted had in _How I Met Your Mother_. Another good show, Alex mentally giggled. Neil Patrick Harris was both an _absolutely amazing _actor – and just absolute to die-for delicious. Too bad he was batting for the other side…

Well, too bad for _women_. She had no doubt that the gay me were _very _happy about this. As they should be, because it was Neil Patrick Harris. "I thought for a second you had gotten lost or something." Martha joked.

She couldn't resist the bait. "Nah, just the Doctor and me were snogging off in the closet! It's something that you just _gotta _do when you have a sexy man with you and a closet!" The _look _on Martha Jones' face when Alex said that _could not _have been more priceless.

"_A – A - Allie_!"

Although, stealing a look at the Doctor, the look of comical horror, spluttering of words, and the slight blush on his face _was _it a run for its money.

Soaking up both of their faces, she finally let out a laugh. "The look on your faces!" She slapped her knee, before straightening up with a gasp. "Dude, I was _joking_!" She threw her hands out, speaking to Martha. "Anyways, what happened –" She saw the Doctor become nervous. Oh please, did he have no faith in her? " – was that it was a big closet – like I'm talking _huge_, Martha. Took up the whole floor. And you know me," she gave the doctor-in-training a grin. "I have to make sure that everything matches up and all! What do you think?"

"You pull it off well," Martha replied, none the wiser to what had really transpired. Alex let Martha walk by her and then turned to the Doctor to mouth, _No faith_. He became a bit sheepish. He looked at her for a minute just as she had been about to turn, _Thank you_. Yet again he gave this to just her, and it made her whole body sort of tingle. She smiled at him and held out her hand to him as he came closer.

He returned the smile and took her hand and they walked out into the new planet together. It was still pouring outside, and Alex opened the umbrella. "Want some room?" She offered him. He replied that he shouldn't bother since he was already wet. She asked Martha, and she gave the same reply. "Fine, your choice." She was happy under her yellow umbrella, where it was _nice _and _warm _and the best part was it was _dry_.

The Doctor seemed to enjoy the rain, while Martha just zipped up her jacket. "Oh, this is nice." Martha muttered. "Time Lord's version of dazzling."

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone." He closed the door, and turned to only one who was dry at this point. "Don't like the rain, Allie?"

"Oh, I _love _the rain – especially the smell." Proving her point, she took in a deep lungful of air, letting the smell of the rain fill her mind. "I just don't like it when I have make-up on." He clearly didn't understand, and Alex knew he probably never would. "It's a girl thing."

He seemed to understand it was something he didn't get and started to walk down the alleyway. While the Doctor and Martha rushed away, because of the rain, Alex just sort of meandered about. "I asked them about sharing my umbrella…" Alex muttered to herself. "It's their own fault." She hear Martha mutter something about how it looked like the same old Earth, and she had to agree.

"Did you get the timing off, maybe, Doctor?" Alex offered. "You know how sometimes you can't drive the TARDIS properly!"

"I drive her _just fine_, Allie!" His tone was full of denial and defense.

She rolled her eyes. "Twelve months instead of twelve hours!" She _heard _his mouth shut up after that. There was no way he could argue when she threw that at him. He dodged to his left and came up to a dead screen. Martha was right behind him, and Alex took her time getting over there.

She heard the sonic screwdriver and came over just as a woman appeared on screen. "Ooh," Alex giggled, "She's pretty!" From what the woman was talking about, it made sense for her to be pretty. Newswomen always did better that way.

" – and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway." Alex closed up her umbrella, and did a double take when she saw the picture that was shown. There were _flying cars_ gliding across the screen. _Flying Cars_, Alex's mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened with glee.

She slapped the Doctor's arm. "Ooh! Doctor! I want to drive one of those! Please, can I? Can I _pretty please_?" She tugged on his arm, jumping up and down a bit. "I want to drive one! I do! I do! I do!"

"Alright, alright," He held up a hand. "If you're good on this trip, then I'll let you drive the car." She looked so excited. "But that means you have to behave and do everything I tell you."

"Yes, Sir!" She snapped her feet together, but made sure not to smile because she knew he didn't like that. "I'll be the best you will ever experience."

The Doctor smiled, "Yeah, we'll see." He replied, good natured. "That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels." The Doctor leaned out to look up. "Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under city."

"_So_," Alex held out the last syllable for a minute. "You brought us to the _slums_?" She couldn't even bother to get herself to sound irritated. They weren't just slums, but _other worldly _slums. Somehow that made it better to her. She grinned up at him.

He was just as happy. "Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything." Amen to that, Alex thought. She'd do the same thing – she was doing it now. She'd enjoy anything if it was _new_. Even something as icky as the slums could be, were _so much more exciting and fun _because they were on a different planet. These weren't _her _slums, but different ones. It somehow made it better.

"That's me."

"Oh!" Alex held out a hand and didn't feel any more droplets. "Awesome, rain has stopped!" She looked back and forth, before resting the umbrella against the wall. She turned to the Doctor, "I will _not _be able to remember where that is. But I don't want to travel around with it." She used her two fingers to point to her eyes, and then whirled them around so they pointed at him. "So, Doctor, look at me." She made the motion back and forth a few times. "You have to remember that, 'kay?"

"Got it." He winked at her. He offered her his arm, and they started walking arm-in-arm.

Martha had to make something clear beforehand. "When you say 'last time', was that you and Rose?" Alex winced. Oh, shoot, right that was why New Earth sounded a bit familiar with her. He had taken _Rose _there on their very first adventure together.

"Um – yeah. Yeah it was." Oh, no no no, Alex looked at him in despair for a moment. What the hell was he _thinking_? You don't tell another _woman _that! That's one of the worst things you could tell her!

"You're taking me to the same planets you took her?" She could just barely hear it. Just barely hear the crossness. Actually, she could _feel _it more than hear it. It sort of shot through her, and it made her skin itch.

"What's wrong with that?" _Everything, you stupid, stupid man_. Alex thought with a roll of her eyes.

"Nothing." Martha's tone said the opposite. Alex really could feel that this got to Martha. She winced again. "Just – ever heard of the word 'rebound'?" She was vexed, and Alex had to rub her arms as the itching feeling grew. Damn, she always got that sensation whenever someone was mad. It was a bit annoying, but she had learned to deal with it. Martha pushed past both of them, and started to walk on.

"Doctor," She said deeply. "You really shouldn't have said that."

"Why not?" She just stared at up at him, for a moment. She then put her black sweater in her hand and held it up for the Doctor to notice. She was telling him – silently – that it was just like the issue Alex had in the TARDIS' closet. She saw understanding flash through his eyes.

"We like to be noticed as who we are, Doctor." Alex explained to him tenderly. "We don't like to be over looked, no one does." She shrugged.

He scrunched up his face and turned back to see Martha. "What do I do?"

Alex took a few steps to remain by his side. "How about next adventure, we go somewhere new? Some place you hadn't taken Rose."

He turned back to her. "Where would I be without you, Allie?"

She just smiled. "Let's not find out, shall we?" His eyes became tender, and it melted her heart.

Alex's head snapped around when a flurry of commotion started up. A young man appeared out of _nowhere_. He just flipped up what seemed to be an opening, and Alex realized there was a whole little store thing in there. He was all excited and eager – like all salesmen are – about selling them something he just kept calling '_Happy_'. She didn't understand the context, happy isn't a noun. She took a few steps forward, to see if she could get a better look.

The Doctor gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to him. She turned to look at him in question, and he just shook his head. Two more salespeople popped up across the alleyway, and Alex was just confused as to where they were coming from. With all of their voices all blending together, she couldn't figure out _what _they were saying. She could have sworn the black saleswoman was saying something about _anger_, but that still made no sense to her.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.

"I think they're selling moods."

"Oh," Alex breathed out. "Is that what they're doing? 'Cause I couldn't understand _what _they were talking about. Where I come from, _happy _and _anger _are not nouns – and certainly not something you can_ buy_."

Alex's eyes caught something moving. She saw a pale woman that looked so very small and bedraggled. Her breath hitched just for a moment. She was sad, Alex felt. She was so very sad, and very lonely and very helpless. Suddenly, Alex was thrust back into her own memories, when she felt those very same emotions. She moved her hand out, to grab something to she would keep herself in the present. She ended up with a fistful of the Doctor's jacket. She didn't notice how he turned to her, concerned. She couldn't see much beyond her memories, and she felt like she was suffocating.

The sinking emotions that the woman was feeling buried Alex in a sea of emotions – from both the stranger and from her own. She tried to breathe, tried to keep her head above all of it. It was difficult. She felt something brush against her elbow, just a slight touch, and her elbow shot away – a violent reaction more to a memory that was caused by the sensation. She looked up, startled and saw the Doctor leaning closer to her. "Allie…?" He murmured.

She couldn't speak, and turned back towards the young woman. She saw that she had gone over to one of the saleswoman. Alex didn't notice how the Doctor turned to see what had gotten her attention. " – And what can I get for you, my love?" The saleswoman asked.

"I want to buy Forget." Forget, she wanted to forget something. Alex knew exactly the feeling – that desperate _wanting _to just forget it all. To just be able to breathe properly again, without any of the stabbing pains that happened with each breath.

The saleswoman confirmed she had Forget, and asked the burning question Alex was wondering. _What did she want to forget_? "It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway." There had been a brief, wild moment where Alex became cynical. Why would something as insignificant as _that _need forgetting? However, Alex felt such a wave of emotion pull her under from that woman that it made her reconsider immediately. Whatever was going on here, it was clear to Alex that you did not want your loved ones going to this 'motorway'.

She could feel the woman was hopeless in them returning. It pulled Alex under again, and she was having more trouble breathing. She didn't even realize she gripped the Doctor's jacket tightly, so tightly her knuckles were turning white. She didn't notice the Doctor look at her hand, clenched so tightly to his jacket, and then look back at her. She kept her eyes on the young woman. The saleswoman had made the exchange for the Forget the woman wanted. Alex saw that it was just a small circular token. She could just barely make out the word 'Forget' on it.

"Sorry, but – hold on a minute." She looked up startled, and like a leash she was guided back to the present by the Doctor's voice. She honed in on it and looked over to see that he had guided her so they were standing before the woman. Alex's throat closed up, as her skin prickled with the emotions that now were _so much closer_. "What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off." She remembered when she had been like this. Alex remembered that point in time where she didn't have the strength to make up complex answers. Only simple thoughts and simple sentences ever made sense to her. It took too much effort – effort she didn't have – in order to speak with anything more than that.

"They might drive back." The Doctor offered. Alex just shook her head, he didn't understand. Once that hopelessness takes a hold of you, there was nothing to stop it. No words that anyone else could give you to make it better. This woman was now in its clutches, and she could see – she could _feel _– that this poor woman didn't have any strength to fight it.

"Everyone gets on the motorway in the end. I've lost them."

If she wasn't so lost within her own emotions, she would have commended the Doctor for continuing to try. It was so obvious to her that there was nothing left to do. "But they can't have gotten far. You can find them." Alex felt it was no use. There wasn't anything left for this poor woman, except to forget and try and move on through that. It wasn't the best answer, and it certainly wasn't the right answer. However, Alex knew that it was all the woman had left to do. The woman put on the circular token, and while the Doctor tried to protest, the emotion already took effect.

Alex felt the chemical emotions now. It dragged across her skin in a fake way, and she could feel her skin twitching from it. She was now docile and serene, but Alex could see that it was just the slightest bit off. She didn't seem quite aware of your surroundings. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Her voice expressed just what her face was showing. Alex scratched her skin at the way her skin bristled. The fake emotions made her feel as if a sludgy kind of ink was slinking down her arms.

"Your parents." The Doctor tried to explain patiently. Alex knew there was no point. She was now gone. "Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."

"Are they? That's nice." She saw Martha look at both of them out of the corner of her eye. Alex could feel just the barest hint of surprise and knew Martha was in disbelief. She could feel the Doctor's emotion, just a pinprick in her own swirl of nasty feelings. He was more disturbed, but he wasn't surprised. She wasn't either. She had expected such a reaction. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you."

They all watched her go, and once she was far enough away, Alex closed her eyes. Her shoulders slumped as if a heavy bulk was bearing down on her shoulders. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms, trying to appear as small as she could. She lifted a hand and pressed it against her forehead harshly. Stop it, she told herself, don't take yourself there. "So that's the human race five billion years into the future. Off their heads on chemicals."

Alex felt such a twitch in her shoulders that it caused her muscles to ache. "Oh, shut up, Martha." Alex whirled around, and just glared at the woman. "Oh so what? Now you're an expert when it comes to things like that? Because I don't think you know anything about this subject – I _certainly _don't think you understand anything about what that woman was feeling. Because let me tell you something, _I _do. I know exactly what she was feeling. It wasn't just from my empathy, let me tell you Martha, it was from firsthand experience. When you've got nothing else to go on, all you want to do is forget. You want the pain to stop, you want to feel happy again. It becomes really hard.

"Yeah, sure maybe we don't know what's going on. But I could tell from what that woman was feeling, was that whatever the motorway out here is, it's not a good thing. She was sincerely upset about her parents on the motorway. She was _genuinely _hopeless about her situation. I _know _that feeling. When you get to that point, when you hit that bottom, you just want to forget everything. You want to rewind time, and go back to that point and just run an eraser across all of it, so that it's gone from your memories. You think about how it might help you then, it might make the pain stop. The pain, let me tell you Martha, that is so painful you can't even breathe without wanting to curl up into a ball and _cry_.

"That pain is so horrible and upsetting that you'd do anything to get rid of it. Yes, Martha, you'd even want to forget everything. You'd want it to stop. You just…" Alex was falling apart, losing herself in her emotions. She had stopped talking about the young woman long ago. "You just want it to all stop. You want it to end. You'd do anything to get it that way. And you'd feel horrible that you'd want to forget. You'd feel ashamed that you'd want to forget the people that _caused _the pain. That would just make you worse, and it'd feed your pain and suddenly it's a vicious cycle that seems hopeless to break…"

Alex broke off speaking and threw her hands up to her face. She covered them as she held back a sob. She felt arms come around her shoulders, and she needed this so badly. She fell into the chest, and cried and cried and cried. She needed this warmth and this affection. She needed this hand rubbing up and down her back and that soothing voice in her ear. "I'm sorry…" She muttered, tears still in her eyes. Her voice was hoarse. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"You're sensitive, Allie." The Doctor murmured in her ear. She wanted to keep his voice right there all the time – especially when she got in this mood. "You felt her emotions, Allie. And you responded to them. It's not something you can control."

She took a few deep breaths. She moved her head and ended up nuzzling it under his chin. She looked over at Martha. "I'm sorry, Martha." She said quietly, truly meaning it. "I didn't meant to snap at you."

"No, Alex, I'm sorry, I really should have known better."

"Thank you, Doctor." She murmured to him. This time it was her speaking her thanks to only his ears. He patted her back, and she could feel that he wasn't bothered by this at all. She smiled a bit and pushed his jacket over her face, blushing a bit when she could feel his amazement in his swirl of emotions.

She didn't notice how Martha looked at the two of them all snuggled together with a look of some sadness. Alex's head snapped back, almost striking the Doctor's chin when Martha let out a scream. "_Martha_!" Alex called to her friend. A man had thrown an arm around her and was dragging her backwards. A woman stood between them and the time travelers, gun raised and aimed at them.

"I'm really sorry. I'm really, really sorry." The man kept apologizing, and if he didn't have her best friend in his grasp, she would be mystified. "We just need three, that's all."

Alex tried to run up to them, but the woman swung the gun around and Alex's back off immediately. "No, let her go!" The Doctor was becoming desperate, and she couldn't breathe with his emotions burying her with each word he got out. This time, she forced herself to stay focused. "I'm warning you, let her go!"

"Please," Alex was yelling as well. "Please, whatever it is you want, we'll help you! I promise! Please! Just _let her go_!"

"Yes," The Doctor nodded his head vigorously. "Whatever you want, we can help. All three of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go!" The woman continued to apologize over and over again, and with one final one 'sorry' – and Alex could feel her tears even from her distance – they slammed a green door shut.

She felt the Doctor's frustration as she rushed over to the door. She tried to yank it up, put almost put her shoulders out of commission when it didn't budge open. "Doctor, it's not opening!" She put a foot next to the door, and tried to pull it open that way. She ended up just falling onto her ass. "Oh come on!" She snapped. "Out of all the times I could be clumsy!"

She shot right back up and this time, crashed right into the wall next to the Doctor. He gave it a few yanks, and Alex was just so annoyed he'd even bother to try. "Doctor!" She snapped. "Screwdriver!" He whipped out the device, and Alex felt her eyebrow twitch. They could have saved themselves a _lot _of trouble, if they had started with that first.

It wasn't important as the door opened, and Alex was the first one in. She whizzed past the alien, and ran down across the hallway as quickly as her small little legs would allow her. She could hear the Doctor's shoes slap across the floor as he ran right behind her. She almost skidded past the door, and the Doctor took the opportunity to become first. He swung open the door, and she caught it as she went right after him.

There was a huge gust of wind, and Alex watched in horror as a black hovering car – one that she _knew _had Martha in it – turned to speed off. "_Martha_!" The Doctor yelled frantically, but it was no use.

Alex rushed down the stairs, and breathed heavily as she looked right at the spot where the car last had been. Martha was gone. She had been kidnapped on New Earth. Alex couldn't quite comprehend it. "Doctor…" She whirled around, and stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Doctor...!" He looked over to her, his eyes wild and his breathing rough. "You'll…" She blinked a few times, and slowly took the steps to get back to him. "Please, you have to get her back…"

He grabbed her face, holding it in both of his hands. He leaned so close she could that she could feel every warm breath he exhaled. Their foreheads just barely brushed together. It made her believe ever word he had to say. "I swear to you, Allie. I _will _get her back." He whirled around, and in a smooth motion took off with Alex's hand in his. They rushed back to where they had come from.

"Doctor," she called to him. "I don't understand. Martha is that way." She pointed to the generally direction to the area _they were running away from_. "Why are we going in the opposite?"

He got back to the door at the end of the hallway, and looked back at her only then. "Trust me." That was all he said. It was all he needed. She nodded her head, showing she did. She did trust him. She saw he wanted to smile, wanted to show his reassurance, but he was furious. She could feel it, and her skin never prickled as much as it did now. It almost hurt. He turned sharply to the left, and started banging on the first hatch that he ran across. It opened, and Alex realized that the blonde saleswoman was behind it.

"Thought you'd come back! Do either of you want some happy Happy?" Alex just stared at her for a moment. Was this woman _blind_? Why would she offer the Doctor something like that _now _when he was so completely livid? She wouldn't be surprised if he was seeing red, or something.

He got right down to the point. "Those people – who were they? Where did they take her?" She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders tightly. She could feel his emotions swirling around, and she knew that he was scared that if he didn't – she'd end up disappearing into the fog like Martha did.

"They've taken her to the motorway." The salesman they saw emerged from his stall. Motorway? Alex thought, and blinked a few times. Hadn't they heard that before? Or was she imagining it?

"They looked like carjackers to me." The saleswoman in front of them said.

"I'd give up now, darling." The black saleswoman gave her two cents. "You won't see her again."

Alex clutched onto the Doctor's jacket. Won't see her again? No, that couldn't be. Martha was her friend! She tugged on his jacket, and he squeezed her shoulders in response. "Used to be thriving in this place. You couldn't move." The salesman spoke up. "But they all go to the motorway in the end."

The Doctor moved his head around, grilling them all at once. If anyone could accomplish such a task and make it look intimidating – and not stupid or ridiculous – than it would be him. "He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-shaving policy, to save fuel." The blonde saleswoman explained. "You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

Alex didn't ask any questions. She would just trust the Doctor, and he'd save Martha. She would just do whatever he told her. She figured it would help him out in the long run. She pressed her face to his jacket and took a deep breath. He smelled like cinnamon and sort of a spice, and it made her heart flutter for some reason. "The motorway – how do we get there?"

They pointed and told him that it was straight down the alleyway, it was all the way at the end, it couldn't be missed. The Doctor turned, with Alex tucked under his arm, and they walked towards the direction of the motorway. The saleswoman spoke up, and it was a big mistake, "Tell you what – how 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!"

Alex felt her stomach drop at the spike of anger that surged through the man standing next to her. He whirled around and walked over to make sure that each of the salesmen were in his sight. She curled herself in and decided to stay out of his way. "Word of advice, all of you. Cash up. Close down. And pack your bags."

"Why's that, then?"

The Doctor gave her one hell of an answer. "Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well – and I will find her, alive and well – then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!" He turned back around, and she hadn't even realized but she was backing away slowly. She didn't like the emotions that now prickled across her skin. It was scary. He must have seen this, for his eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed.

"_Ah_!"

One moment the Doctor's face was there, and the next moment there was just fog. She heard the Doctor call out her name wildly. Her vision went black for a few seconds, and even when she got it back it took her a few minutes of just staring at the Doctor's worried face to understand what happened. She groaned, and she pressed a hand to her back that now ached horribly. "I _told _you," She said roughly, "this is why I can't walk backwards. I'd end up falling."

He breathed out a sigh of relief when she spoke, "I thought you'd had gotten taken too." He murmured.

"I'm fine, Doctor." She eased herself up, with his help. She hissed as her back cracked and that shot pain through her, and she stretched a bit to ease the ache. "I'm sorry I scared you." She mumbled. He smiled and patted her shoulder, to show that she was fine.

He was about to walk off, but something gave him pause. "Actually, let me…" He took her hand before starting to walk off again. She realized what he was saying and rolled her eyes. He clearly was starting to think she couldn't walk on her own. Well fine, she couldn't complain, not with his warm hand enclosed around hers.

-x-

Alex found herself walking down a dilapidated corridor, the Doctor's hand still tightly in hers. She swung them back and forth, just a tiny bit. It was sad, she felt, how run down and decrepit all of this was. She turned slowly around, and saw that the Doctor's face was forward. His eyebrows were burrowed with a stern look of determination on his face.

She could feel he was still mad too. She felt the silence between them was a bit awkward, although she figured it was probably just on her end. Unfortunately, she had a tendency to babble when she felt awkward. This time was no different. "We're in the equivalent of America, right?" He turned to look at her. "Or is it New America now?" She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Seriously, _no _creativity! There so many others things we could have named it other than just _new _America! That's boring!" She trailed off, and blinked a few times. "… What was I saying before?"

"You asked me if this was the equivalent of New America…?" Even though she could sense he was angry, at least he was still being helpful.

"Oh yeah!" She snapped the fingers from her free hand. "Yeah, yeah, so it is?" He nodded his head. "Okay sweet, so I was thinking – when I get one of those cars, right? It'll be cool, and it can't be _that _much different – or at least hopefully. I asked, 'cause I was a bit worried about where the driving wheel is going to be. 'Cause you know – or maybe you didn't, I don't know – but for you English the driving wheel for the car is on the right side. And I don't know how to drive a car like that. I only know how to drive a car that's on the left side – like all American cars."

Her mission was accomplished when she got the Doctor to smile. "I'm sure we can get you a car that has a left-sided steering wheel." She liked the Doctor smiling at her, it gave her butterflies. She ignored the meaning usually behind that.

"That's a relief." Something occurred to her. "Oh! I could drive Martha, you, and me back to the TARDIS." She squealed a bit, excited over that thought. "That would be so cool!" His smile became just a little bit wider, and it made her all gooey inside. "So, it's settled." She pointed to him, to make it clear that she was holding him to his promise.

"It's settled." He repeated.

There was a comfortable moment of silence, before Alex tugged on the Doctor's hand. He turned to her again. "I do trust you, Doctor." She said, truly no doubt in her voice or on her face. "We'll get Martha back. I know you. I know you'll do it. One hundred percent faith in you." She tugged his arm again. "So… don't worry about it, 'kay? We'll do it."

He smiled at her, and it was soft and warm. It was starting to feel like _every time _he smiled at her, she was going to melt on the inside. "Thank you, Allie."

"You are _more _than welcome, Doctor."

They finally got the end of the hallway, and were greeted by a large door – closed shut for business. Alex peeked a look over at a neglected sign to see _MOTORWAY ACCESS _just barely understandable across its form. She wondered why that young woman was in such despair over the fact that her parents ended up on the other side of this door. Alex wondered about it as the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver to open the locked door.

She said it had been hopeless. Alex remembered. Why would she say that? If they were on the motorway, then they could just drive back around and come get her if she really wanted to. She couldn't see why not. At least, she hadn't been able to understand until the Doctor got the door open. They walked through, and Alex threw her hands up over her face as a thick layer of smog descended over them.

She couldn't breathe and closed her eyes. Oh God, this was horrible – as bad as it had been on the moon. There just didn't seem to be _any _air – any oxygen for her body to use. She could hear the Doctor struggling to breathe as well. She took one of her hands away from her face, and tried to wave the smoke away. She opened her watering eyes, and coughed again this time out of disbelief.

In front of her, as far as her eye could see, were those hovering cars. Hundreds of thousands of them were all packed in. Alex looked to the left and then to the right, and could see nothing but more and more cars. No wonder she couldn't breathe, all of these exhaust fumes from the cars would do the trick. Waving her hand was only making it harder for her to breath, and she brought her moving hand back to remain stationary on her face.

She could barely hear anything, and she realized that it was horns. Horns from a thousand different cars were blaring ferociously throughout the enclosed space. Alex hunched her shoulders. She had wanted to use her hands to properly cover her ears, but she was too busy using them to cover her mouth and nose. She would have to do the best she could. She heard a door _swoosh _open and turned to see the hover car in front of her had made the noise.

A tall man leaned out of the car, wearing proper protective gear against the malicious fumes. "Hey! You daft little street struts! What are you doing there, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!"

Neither of the brunets even bothered to look at each other. They both rushed down and into the car. Alex was gagging at the lack of oxygen. Her throat was constricting up, and even in the normal air now, she was still having trouble getting her lungs to cooperate. She noticed a dark haired woman with fair skin hand her an oxygen mask. She took it gratefully, and pressed it to her face and just closed her eyes and focused on taking deep breaths.

"Just standing there, these two, breathing it in!" Alex opened her eyes just as the man got off the last of his headgear to show his face underneath. He was a cat. Alex just stared at him for a moment, still taking in lungsful of oxygen. He was a _cat_. A proper cat with hair and whiskers and probably ears, but walking on two legs with the _body _of a human…

She slowly turned to the Doctor. She was asking a question in her eyes, _He's a cat_? She just wanted to make sure she wasn't going insane from the lack of oxygen. The Doctor nodded his head, _Yes, he's a cat_. She glared at him when she saw there was a bit of mock in his eyes. Dick. _This is normal_? She raised an eyebrow, and he nodded again. _Totally normal for New Earth_.

"There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Forty Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes." Whoa dude, seriously? That was insane. Alex thought. She couldn't believe that, _twenty minutes_? The Doctor and she hadn't even lasted a _few _minutes, before they were struggling to breath. "By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

Alex laughed a bit breathless into the mask. The cat waggled his eyebrows, and she giggled some more. "Fifty feet's impressive!" She had to comment, voice a bit muffled by the mask.

"Isn't it just?" The cat agreed with her.

"Oh, you're making it up." The other brunette woman said with a roll of her eyes. The cat headed up the front of the car, and let himself down into the driver's seat. Alex gave the Doctor a pointed look when she saw that the steering wheel was on the _right _side of the car. If it turned out that – for some unforeseen, god-forsaken reason – everyone now had steering wheels on the right side of the cars, she would be very upset. He rolled his eyes at her, and she would have narrowed her eyes back if it wasn't for that small smile that was on his lips. He was teasing her.

"A fifty-foot head! Just think of it." The cat continued on, oblivious to the silent conversation that the time travelers were having. "Imagine picking that nose." Alex snorted, and she saw the Doctor raise an eyebrow – clearly questioning if that response was for him. She covered her face, embarrassed that she made such a noise – especially in the presence of _the Doctor_. God, could she be any dorkier!

"Stop it. That's disgusting." The Doctor was grinning at her, she could _feel _it burning a hole in the side of her head. Oh, _of course _he'd find her mortification _hilarious_… God, he is such a dick.

"What? Did you never pick your nose?" He was tapping on her shoulder, and she refused to listen. She knew it was childish, but she purposefully turned her head away, and looked at the _opposite _side of the car. He kept tugging, refusing to be deterred, as did she. She heard him sigh, and Alex almost rolled her eyes. She could hear his thoughts from here! _It was only a joke_, oh please. Could he be a little less insensitive?

"I'm sorry…" He murmured into her ear. He was close enough that she could feel his breath fan across the side of her face. It tickled down her neck, and she had to lean away. She scrunched up her shoulder. Only then did she turn to him, and she saw the most impressive puppy face she had ever seen. Big, sad brown eyes looked down at her widely – but it wasn't stupid looking. It just made his puppy eyes more irresistible.

"Okay, okay…" She grumbled. "I forgive you. Just stop giving me that face. I can't deny you anything with that face." It was clearly such a bad idea to tell him that. His eyes glittered and he grinned broadly. Oh boy, she knew she was going to regret that later – and probably a _boat _load of times later.

"Bran, we're moving!"

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." Alex felt the car shift. Oh great, she thought, that big traffic jam must have cleared up. Or at least, she would have thought until the car stopped after a few or so seconds. What? Alex looked out the window, but couldn't see much through the opaque fog outside. Surely, they should be moving more than _that_.

"Twenty yards! We're having a good day." A _good _day? Surely, they were joking. Alex leaned back and turned to the Doctor, hoping he had figured out some answers. Twenty yards did not sound like a good day. Twenty yards sounded like the worst day in the world to be driving a car. At least, it did to her. Before she could ask properly, the couple turned to address them. "And who might either of you be? Very well dressed for hitchhikers." Alex ran a hand down the cowl neckline of her sweater. She actually really liked this sweater – probably one of her favorites now.

"Thanks." The Doctor replied, having given back both his and Alex's oxygen masks back. "Sorry, I'm the Doctor. This is Alex Harper." She waved her hand and smiled.

"Thanks for helping us back there." She gestured to where they had been. "Not sure what would have happened if you hadn't lent a hand."

"A medical man!" 'Bran' was clearly excited about that. Both time travelers smiled. "Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan," Ah, so 'Bran' was just a nickname. She was impressed by the name. Although, Alex thought, not _nearly _as impressive as _Benedict Cumberbatch_. Damn, that is one _English _name. "And this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."

Well, nice to put names to the kind people who helped them out of that situation. Alex smiled in delight. "Nice to meet you." Valerie and her nodded to each other.

"And that's the rest of the family behind you." Alex turned to where he had gestured. She leaned forward and eased the curtain over.

"_Aw_…" Alex's heart just melted. She put a hand over her chest, just completely in love with the sight of a basket of kittens. Who didn't love the sight of that? You had to be heartless not to be moved. "Oh, and they're _talking_!" She was just so excited. She reached down and gently picked up one of them. The friendliest of them all was this _adorable _little black kitten. He seemed eager to be picked up and held, and Alex couldn't reject him on that.

She cradled him to her chest, and he just purred and purred and purred. The Doctor scratched his head, and she just was in love. "They're so adorable!" Alex whispered. "Just so precious! They're so tiny too…" She had never held one so young before. "How old are they?"

"Just two months." _Oh, that's even more precious_! She squealed in her mind. She got her finger under his chin, and he just sagged into her arms. She could feel the vibrations of his purring against her palm, and oh she was just _so in love_.

"Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws." What? Alex looked up, a bit startled in that. She tucked her chin across the small kitten's back. How was that possible? Didn't they ever get out and stretch their legs – at the very least. Didn't they have to go back home at the end of the day? He explained, when he saw both of their faces – she peeked a look and saw the Doctor was just as confused. "Children of the motorway."

The Doctor understood what that meant faster than she did. "What, they were born in here?" Alex's eyebrows furrowed together. She turned to get a proper look at the rest of the car, but she couldn't picture it. How could they do something like that? This car was just so _small_. How do you give birth in here? Part of her was impressed that Valarie was able to do it anyway. Although, she figured that when they wanted to come out into the world, then _they were coming out_. Still, couldn't have been comfortable – not to mention it's just the two of them. No doctors to help the process, and no drugs…

_That _just made her blanch in horror at the thought. _Ugh_, that was not something she could imagine – nor was it something she wanted to imagine – nor was it something she _ever _wanted to experience. No, no, and no to all three. "So, you mean to say that _they_," she lifted up her most adorable little bit of proof in her hands, "were born in _here_?" She then gestured to the small car – it couldn't have been bigger than her _bathroom_. How could someone _live _here?

"We couldn't stop." Valerie replied. She made it sound as if it was the most normal thing to do. Alex suddenly remembered the young woman – _It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway_. Something told her that actually yes, this was indeed common. "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"What? You've been driving for two months?" Oh good Lord, the leg cramps these poor people must have! Alex shuddered in horror. She couldn't deal with that, she needed to move. It would drive her _insane_ to drive for _that _long. She needs to move around, stretch out her legs.

"Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now." Alex's eyes snapped opened and she looked over at Brannigan in utter shock. Cat say _what now_? Twelve years? Twelve… Alex had to look away, having impossibilities comprehending such a number.

"I'm sorry?" Well, she felt better. It wasn't just her and her being human. The Doctor – for all his Time Lord genius – couldn't grasp it either.

"Yeah!" There again was that tone as if it was _completely _normal. _Completely normal for two people to basically live out their lives in a 1-by-five feet house_. No, Mr. Brannigan, it was not normal. Thank you _very _much. "Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday." Completely ignoring – or oblivious – to the brunets' faces. He turned to speak to his wife.

"Feels like twelve years." Valarie said flatly. Alex would have laughed, honest, if she hadn't still been trying to get over her shock. Brannigan went in for a tickle attack, and the two of them laughed. For a moment they looked like a young couple just starting out in the ways of love. So innocent and carefree.

"Okay, okay, okay…" Alex was still petting the kitten in her arms, because she couldn't let him go. There was just one little thing she needed to get straight. "So, you've been driving for twelve years. I get that." Well sorta. She's currently still processing that information still, but she's getting there. "What I would like to know is where you came from? Where did you start that made you have to drive for twelve years?"

"Battery park." Brannigan replied. "It's five miles back."

Alex's face just went blank as her mind just broke. Twelve years for five miles? _Twelve years _for _five miles_? That… No… But… You can't… Nothing seemed to work in her brain. It was official broken. She put up a hand – almost mechanically – to her forehead and pressed against it. She was starting to get a migraine. "You travelled five miles in twelve years?" The Doctor was just incredulous. That wasn't helping her state of mind. She had enough time dealing with her own reaction right now, she didn't need the Doctor's to boot.

"I think he's a bit slow." Brannigan said to his wife. Alex _almost _laughed. Actually, you'll find that he's _not_. He's actually _very very _quick minded.

"Where are you from?" She could hear the confusion in Valerie's tone. Suddenly, Alex understood why it had appeared so hopeless to that poor woman when her parents left for the motorway. It took Brannigan and Valerie _twelve_ _years _to travel the distance of_ five miles_.

"Never mind that, we've got to get out." _Wha_…? Alex was a bit huffy about that. No way was she leaving this adorable, cute, ball of joy that has ever come across her path. She held him just the tightest bit tighter in rebellion. "My friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage." Oh right… Alex sighed deeply. Martha was trapped, she had to remember that. But… but… Alex looked down at the kitten and he looked back up at her with these beautiful blue eyes. Her whole body melted. _How could she leave him_? "We should get back to the TARDIS."

The decision had been made for her when the Doctor opened the door, and all that was outside was a thick layer of fumes. Alex threw herself as far back from the door as she could – she was _not _about to deal with not breathing again, _thank you_. Valerie pressed a hand over her mouth. "You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by!"

When the Doctor just stood there stupidly and coughed, Alex reached forward to grab his coat. She dragged him back into the car, and at least he had enough brain left to close the door. She patted his back to help him breath and then shook her head. "When you start coughing, Doctor, we humans like to close the door to block whatever it is that we're coughing from." Her tone was just a tad bit condescending. He just glared at her.

"You're passengers now, Sonny Jim!" Brannigan seemed to have 'the more the merrier' concept in his mind. Alex appreciated that at least they were happy to have them onboard. It would be a pretty different story if they wanted to get rid of the two time travelers.

"When's the next lay-by?" The Doctor asked urgent.

"Oh…" Something dropped in her stomach, and she realized that her gut was telling her his answer wasn't going to be something they wanted to hear. "six months?" See, dammit, she _hated _being right.

The Doctor just stared at Brannigan – clearly _not _amused – while Alex's head dropped back as she groaned.

-x-

The Doctor demanded that he talk to the police. The happy couple explained that there was a transmitter in the back. He threw open the curtain, and Alex was horrified. "Whoa, Doctor!"

He had turned to her and looked at her with surprise. "What?"

"Hold your horses for a minute, man…" She grumbled. She took care in picking up all of the kittens into the basket and then lifting it up. "Okay, now you can go…" That stupid man was close to running over the poor little kittens in his haste. As if she would let him do that… She shot him a look when she noticed that he had rolled his eyes before clambering into the small bed.

"I need to talk to the police." He announced into the microphone once he had messed around with it with his screwdriver. Alex plopped herself down onto the edge of the bed, with the basket of mewling kittens still cradled in her arms.

"_Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold_."

Alex's eyebrows shot up. Well, that's stupid. Shouldn't the police have a twenty four hour service or something? In case of super-duper emergencies? The Doctor seemed to have the same thoughts, "But you're the police!"

"_Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold_."

The Doctor scrambled back to the front of the car, and Alex stood up in order to move out of his way. "Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan," Dude, they have those now? Alex's eyes fluttered. If it wasn't for the inappropriate timing, she would have laughed or something at that. So cool, she had to admit at least in her head. "Is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan mocked. Alex's bit her lip in order to stop herself from laughing. She saw the Doctor throw her a look any way. She plopped down next to him, and the bed bounced a bit from the weight. She could feel his tension. He was as taunt as a wire. She ran her hand down his leg and patted his knee, trying to calm him down. She felt it bounce, startled at the touch, but then it relaxed. She hoped that she was helping.

"I've got to find my friend." The Doctor replied urgently.

"You can't make outside calls." Valerie explained. "The motorway's completed enclosed." Who came up with that _stupid _idea? Alex rolled her eyes. That had to be the stupidest idea ever. What if there was a car accident or something? How would people be helped and such? Clearly, someone wasn't _thinking _when they put that together…

"Is there anyone we can make calls to?" Alex asked, when she started to feel his despair. She was close enough to him that she could taste it. It made her own stomach clench, and she needed to help. "Like, I don't know… What about the other cars?"

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah." Brannigan gave her hope, and she was thankful for that. She patted the Doctor's knee. _See, that's something_, she tried to communicate. "Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friend's list." He shifted around in his seat to look at some sort of navigation panel sitting between him and his wife. At least, that's the only thing Alex could use as an equivalent. It _looked _like a navigation panel. "Now, let's see – who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini Sisters!"

He held up the transmitter that was attached to the panel. Oh, so not just navigation, maybe, but communication as well. Even better. Alex placed the kittens back onto the bed, and ran a hand gently across as many of their heads as possible. She then – with a heavy heart when they meowed at her longingly – stood next to the Doctor. "Still my hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."

"_Getting off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace._" Even with just the elderly woman's words, she could tell they were said more from teasing than truth. Clearly, these four were good friends. She could tell.

"Oh, come on, now, sisters." Brannigan replied, and there was just as much teasing in his tone. "Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"

"You know fully well we're not sisters. We're married." Oh _sweet_! All for equal rights, this woman over here. Alex mentally pointed to herself as she grinned. If a woman wanted to marry another woman, Alex saw no reason why they shouldn't. She was proud that it seemed to have made an effect in the future.

"Ooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old fashioned cat." Alex giggled. The Doctor just raised his eyebrow, and she shrugged with a smile still on her lips. If he had no sense of humor, that wasn't her fault. He just needed to lighten up. She caught just the barest hint of a smile. "Now, I've got some hitchhikers here, they call themselves the Doctor and Alex Harper."

The Doctor snatched the transmitter the moment it was close enough. Alex pursued her lips a bit, annoyed with his behavior. However, she knew not to mention it right now, they had more important things to worry about. "Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but we don't know which one."

A new voice entered the conversation. "_Wait a minute_…" She felt something brush incessantly at her knee, and looked down to see that it was the Doctor's leg. He was bouncing it on the ball of his feet, and it was starting to irritate her. She slowly slid her leg out and around his which caused it slam into hers when it went back. He looked at her startled, and she just ran her hand across his shoulder, trying to ease him. "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

"Where did you pick us up?" Alex jumped at the question first. If it got them to Martha, then she was happy to help.

"Pharmacy town." As the Doctor relayed this information back to the elderly couple, Alex offered a smile of thanks.

"_Let's have a look_…" Alex could pick up the faint sound of rustling, and it took her a minute to realize it was pages turning. Was she looking something up?

"_Just my luck to marry a car-spotter_." Oh, see now that made _much _more sense. See, context is important. Alex's hand trembled just the slightest bit on the Doctor's shoulder. She was praying and hoping that they would find _something_ – something that would lead them to her friend.

"_In the last half hour, fifty three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction_." Alex's heart dropped. Firstly, dear lord _that _many cars? Just how big is this Motorway supposed to be? Wasn't there a limit to how many cars could be held here? Secondly, if that many cars entered the junction they _just _came from, there was no way for them to find Martha.

"Anything more specific?" The Doctor refused to give up. She was pulled into his embrace, and she realized that he knew what she was thinking. She closed her eyes, and forced herself to stop thinking like that. No, she had to believe in the Doctor. The Doctor would find Martha and she would be fine. He would find Martha, and once they got a flying car – she would fly them back to the TARDIS, and they would go on more adventures together. She had to believe that.

It was _really _hard believing that. She gripped the Doctor's jacket tightly, and breathed in his cinnamon scent. "_All in good time. Was she carjacked by two people_?"

"Yeah, she was, yeah." The Doctor squeezed her shoulder, and she knew what he was trying to tell her. He was trying to give her hope. She squeezed back – she was trying, truly she was trying to believe.

And then the elderly woman said something that jumped start her faith. "_There we are_." Alex's head perked up. Did she find the car? Did she _actually _find the car that had Martha Jones in it? The optimism was hard to contain. She was feeding off of the Doctor. "Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And the car number is four six five diamond six."

_Yes_! Alex laughed gleefully and threw her arms underneath his in order to wrap them around his shoulder. She buried her face into his arm, but was grinning so much it hurt her cheeks. "That's it! So how do we find them?"

"_Ah. Now, there I'm afraid I can't help you_." Alex's smile diminished a bit. What did that mean? Why couldn't they help anymore? Alex felt that doubt creep up in her mind, and she tried to swallow it back.

"Call them on this thing." The Doctor said to Brannigan, gestured to the communication transmitter. "We've got their number. Diamond six."

"Not if they're designated fast lane." Brannigan explained, and Alex's faith was slowly going down the toilet – _fast_. Her stomach was going down with just as much speed. "It's a different class."

"Jesus, who came up with these rules?! That has to be the stupidest thing I ever heard!" Alex snapped and then closed her eyes, instantly regretting it. "I'm so sorry Brannigan, I didn't mean to yell. I'm just worried is all." She felt Valerie pat her hand, and the Doctor squeezed her shoulders.

"_You could try the police_." Alex tried to shrug off the Doctor's shoulder. She wanted to sit on the bed, try to keep to herself. It was a defensive mechanism she had whenever she didn't want to handle something. However, the Doctor wouldn't be pushed away. If anything, he pulled her closer. He gave her a look that almost made her cry. He knew what she was trying to do, and he refused to let her hide in herself. _If you're worried, hold onto me. I've got you_. Alex's eyes watered and she buried her face into his shoulder, trying to keep herself calm. His arm throughout didn't budge an inch.

"The put me on hold." The Doctor answered, speaking to the others through the whole interaction between them.

"_You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else_." Even with her emotions, she still tugged on the back of the Doctor's coat.

He understood what she was telling him. "Thank you." She tugged again, this time to show she was happy.

-x-

She could feel the Doctor thinking. The gears in his head were moving at a speed so quickly that a human could never dream of recreating. She was tucked in his arms, her legs sprawled out over his, and hanging off the bed. She was tapping her fingers on her knee, trying to distract herself by anything that came to mind. "We've got to go to the fast lane. Take us down."

Alex looked up. That had been the first thing he had said in a while. However, she wasn't paying attention to that. The moment the Doctor mentioned going down to the fast line, a huge spike of fear shot through the couple. What was wrong with them? "Not in a million years." What were they so scared of?

The Doctor was quick to protest. "You've got _four _passengers!" That wasn't the issue. That _clearly _wasn't the issue. What was it…? Alex wondered.

"I'm still not going." Brannigan held fast, and Valerie was shifting around in her seat as if she had become uncomfortable. Alex looked between the two of them. In this enclosed space, she could feel their fear weighing down heavily on her shoulders. It made it slightly hard to breathe.

"She's alone, and she's lost." The Doctor stood up to look into Brannigan's eyes. Alex flopped down. Her head was near the basket and the kittens were joyous of this. She smiled just a bit, as she felt their fur brush against her face. It tickled, and her nose scrunched up. For a second, she could forget about the constricting emotions. "She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault." According to you, stupid, _everything _is your fault. Seriously, it was almost magic how his brain could work that way… "I'm asking you, Brannigan – take us down."

She felt Brannigan's will waning, but his wife was not so easily swayed. "That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."

Alex's eyes looked down, her attention caught. So, they didn't want to risk the children. Okay, she supposed that made sense, but risk them from what? What was so dangerous down in the fast lane? People kidnapped Martha, strictly so they could get into the fast lane. If people were willing to commit a crime in order to get in those lanes, she wasn't sure what the issue was. "Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?"

She wasn't so sure that was the best approach. Grilling them until they told you something, will only make it that much harder to get the answers, Doctor. "We've not discussing it!" As predicted, Valerie refused to say a word. "That conversation is closed!"

"So we keep driving." She could almost _see_ the Doctor's exasperation steaming off of him.

"Yes, we do." Brannigan replied. Alex felt a bit constricted. The tension in the car was becoming so thick.

"For how long?" The Doctor exploded, and Alex winced at the volume in such a small space. She tapped the Doctor's leg with her foot. _Shhh_, she wanted to tell him.

"'Till the journey's end."

The Doctor snatched the transmitter and turned it on. "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

"_Oh, we were among the first. It's been twenty three years now_." Holy shit! Alex's mouth dropped. Twenty three _years_? Good God, she'd loose her mind! How could _anyone _drive that long without wanting to get out and at the very least stretch their legs? Alex's head dropped back onto the bed, blinking, trying to imagine that. Whenever she did, it was an utter horror to her. It was her worst nightmare.

"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?"

The air became still and silent. Alex's head perked back up, slowly. You could hear a pin drop, and the feelings of disquiet that were now radiating off of the couple was astronomical to her. She felt her shoulders flex and roll, trying to get the feels to stay off her shoulders. It was impossible, and they bared down on her and she felt a bit heavy when she tried to sit up. Whoa… Whatever the Doctor did, he pressed one hell of a button.

"_I'm not sure_." Alex could hear the uncomfortable nature in the Cassini women's voices. She knew, that whatever cord was stuck in their car, also rang out in the other car.

"Look at your notes. Any police?" The Doctor pressed on, and his voice was gentle. It wasn't a right sort of gentle, Alex realized. He was pushing too hard, she knew. It would fire back at him if he wasn't careful.

"_Not as such_." She was becoming upset, and Alex could feel the same emotions running in this car.

"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? _Ever_?" She winced at his voice, and at the emotions that sky rocketed as he spoke. They didn't want to talk about this, Alex felt. They didn't want to think about this. They didn't want to hear it be brought to light. This issue, they wanted to stay away from it. They wanted to keep it out of their minds, and keep driving for as long as they needed to.

Alex knew that the Doctor wouldn't leave it alone. He would force it open and into the light. He would push and push and push until it happened. "_I can't keep a note of everything_."

"What if there's no one out there?"

Brannigan hastily took the transmitter away angrily. "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favor."

Like a fish on the line, the Doctor pulled and tugged now that he was caught. "Someone's got to ask. 'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes." More than that, it was there in the air, Alex thought. She was starting to feel a bit of a headache from the negative emotions thick within the air. "What if the traffic jam never stops?"

The emotions were climbing higher and higher. The room was starting to spin for her. She decided to lay her head back down. She looked up at the ceiling, but refused to lose track of the conversation. "There's a whole city above us." The cat tried to laugh it off, but the fear and anxiety were clear in his tone. "The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us."

"In that case where are they? Hmm?" Alex felt him tugging, as if he was doing it to her own heart. It sped up a bit, and Alex felt a tad bit sick. She didn't do well when she was surrounded by emotions like these in such a small space. "What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going 'round and 'round and 'round, never stopping? Forever?"

She felt Valerie's emotions snapped, and her knee jerked violently in response. She felt the snap echo in her soul, and it wrenched a small whimper from her lips. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

"_This is Sally Calypso,_" Alex looked up in curiosity at the new voice. She rolled just a bit to see past the Doctor. She saw it was that same woman they had seen before on the broken screen down in Pharmacy Town. "_And it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation_."

There seemed to be a sort of peace that felt in the car. Alex closed her eyes to revel in it after the attack of such negative emotions. "You think you know us so well, Doctor. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."

"_This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe_."

Then, they started to sing. It was an old hymn, Alex recognized. Her body fell into relaxation, and she kept her eyes closed. Soaking in as much of the words as the emotions now swirling in the air. There was still a bit of fear, and there was still problems that she could tell the couple knew they had to face. However, they were happy – in this moment they were content. It was as Brannigan had said, they had each other. They were secure as long as they had each other. Without that, then they'd be lost.

Even the kittens seemed to sense how calming this was to be. They all curled around her head, and each one of them relaxed. Their mewling quieted down as their purrs became silent. Alex breathed in the emotions and the words, tasting it on her lips. She didn't know the song, didn't recognizing it, but with her empathy she felt as if she had sung it a thousand different times. She just sort of trailed off, letting herself drift in the words of the song, even if the people had stopped singing it.

"If you won't take me, I'll go down on my own." The Doctor's words were far away. The moment they registered she was right back in the car, with her eyes opened and looking at the ceiling.

Slightly on autopilot, she sat up. The kittens mewled and protested loudly, but she refused to let that distract her now. She slid off the bed, and over to where the Doctor was crouched. "Okay," She said. "I'm good now, we can go."

He was looking at her, and she couldn't understand his expression for a moment. "You're not going." He said it as if his word was final. Ha!

"Of course I'm going." She scoffed. "What would make you think I'd stay here?" She just proceeded to stare at him as if he was truly stupid.

"Allie, it's _dangerous_."

"Yeah," she shrugged, "and so is crossing the road. Yet, I'm allowed to do that all the time." He wanted to open his mouth, she knew, he wanted to protest and correct her. She knew that he knew she was right. She just continued to stare at him. "May I point out, the more you sit here and try to – _unsuccessfully _– convince me to stay, we lose more and more time getting to Martha."

He knew he had lost. "Oh alright," He grumbled. "_But_," He brandished a finger at her. "You are to follow anything that I tell you."

"Yes sir, Doctor, sir." She nodded her head. He took that as he turned back to the floor, and used his screwdriver to inspect the floor.

"What do you think you both are doing?" Brannigan asked, completely thrown.

"We're finding our own way down," Alex acted as if she had been doing this for years. She lightly crossed her arms across her knees, and rested her chin on them. "We're experts at that – this guy here, always getting himself out of any sort of situation." She replied, cheekily pointed to the Doctor.

"_Capsule Open_."

Alex turned and the Doctor and she peeked a look down. A car right below them moved, and another one took its place. "Here we go." He took off his jacket – that amazingly awesome jacket that Alex just _adored _on him. He tossed it to the couple, and Valerie caught it. "Look after this." He looked back down before looking back at his coat. "I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"Who?" Alex asked, confused. "Who's Janis Joplin?"

"American singer. Did a lot of psychedelic-acid rock. I'll take you to see one of her concerts."

"Sweet, it's a date." She said, without missing a beat. He spluttered a bit, and she laughed. "God, you are so _easy_!"

Valerie brought them back to the task at hand. "You can't jump!"

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, _I'm _having kittens." Those would be some absolutely _adorable _kittens, then. Alex decided. With how amazingly sexy the Doctor was… Oh, it made her drool at how those kittens would look.

"This Martha – she must mean an awful lot to you."

"Hardly know her." Alex rolled her eyes, that's because he was an idiot – but only part of her honestly believed that. He didn't know Martha yet, because he was still so caught up in loosing Rose. Although, Alex thought offhandedly, he probably never gets over it. "I was too busy showing off."

She felt the need to add something. "That, and you lied to her." The Doctor looked up at her, and they started deep into each other's eyes. Both knew what she was talking about, both knew exactly when he lied to her. Her eyes weren't judging, though. They were just understanding.

"Couldn't help it," The Doctor said quietly, speaking to her instead of the whole car. "Just lied." He wasn't defending himself, because he didn't need to. She already understood.

Alex finally turned away and snapped out of the moment, grinning brightly at the couple. "Thank you for everything! Bye!" The Doctor jumped down onto the top of the first car, and she followed him. "Weeee!"

They landed into a different car, and Alex did like that there was personality in each of the cars. If you were going to live in the cars, she could see why you would want to make it as familiar and as comfortable as possible. "Who are you?" She turned to see an equal white man to match the white interior of the car.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." Ooh, cool title. Alex liked it. "We're doing a survey." She waved her hand when the man turned to look at her. "How are you enjoying your motorway?" The Doctor turned to the capsule at the end of the car.

"Well, not very much." Whitey answered. "Junction Five's been closed for three years!" Good Lord, was anyone even trying anymore to maintain the motorway? Alex huffed a bit.

"When we get up there," She gestured to the top of the motorway, to the city of New New York. She had her back to Whitey so only the Doctor could understand her. "I am having a _serious _talk with whoever is in charge with the Motorway system. This is out of hand."

"I'd like to see that." There was a certain twinkle in his eyes that caused her eyebrow to raise. "I could see you being fierce."

"You have no idea, Doctor." It took effort to keep her voice droll. "Make sure to remember that, and don't get on my bad side." When he looked up at her, startled, the look on his face made her laugh.

"You're _teasing_," He sounded so pleased.

"So are _you_…" Yes, she was teasing. He was enjoying it so much. The two of them grinned at each other, as the Doctor finally opened the door, and went first to the next car. She turned back to whitey with a pleasant smile. "Thank you for your answers. You are a valuable customer of the motorway, and all comments have been noted. Thank you! Have a pleasant day, enjoying the motorway!"

They did this over the next few cars, and each patron had something to say about the motorway. Alex couldn't understand, it sounded like _none _of the junctions appeared to be open for an inexcusable amount of time. It was ridiculous. "This is an _awesome_ car, you people are awesome." She gave a thumbs up to the two Asian girls driving in the front. "Oooh, may we borrow this…?" She caught sight of two bandannas. She grabbed a purple and a blue one. She paused as the Doctor opened the capsule. She put both bandannas up in front of her face, and compared them to him. "Here…" She finally decided that the purple one would go better.

He took it gratefully, and they tied it over their mouths. She couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

"We look like bandits." She snickered. "Ye-haw, cowboy!" She raised a fist, as if she was holding a rope. He rolled his eyes. "Oh! That's another place I'd like to visit. The old West."

"Done." The Doctor didn't even hesitate. "That's an easy one." Oh, sweet! She _loved _cowboys! They jumped to the next car, and Alex's speech didn't even reach her mouth. A very weird sort of squeak did. Two _very _naked drivers turned to look at them, completely startled. "Don't mind us!"

She turned around and smacked his hand. "Hurry up, I feel awkward now."

"It's only you." The Doctor responded, and she got a bit snippy.

"Oh, so you don't care that their _naked_!" She realized that she was talking to someone who was _English_, and retracted her statement. "Never mind. You're English, you don't see anything wrong with it." What was the response they usually gave? Oh yeah… "Something about it being a part of life…" She could understand where they were coming from, but she was an American. It was still hard to shake off that awkward feeling.

She did notice that the Doctor opened the capsule faster than he normal did. At least he was mindful about her feelings. That made her a bit happier. They landed down into the next car, and it was just a bright red everywhere. With a large man completely thrown. The Doctor gave him a two finger salute, and Alex grinned and waved. "Wonder what my kind of car would look like, if I owned one of these…?" She murmured.

"It'd be creative, probably." The Doctor replied, going along with her imagination. "And colorful. I see it being colorful."

She nodded her head, "Yeah, so do I. It would be totally awesome."

She could somehow tell he was grinning. "Of course it would be."

Alex felt the need to add, "Not as cool as the TARDIS, though. Nothing could be as cool as the TARDIS." He nodded his head, and she saw that he was very pleased with this answer. They continued to jump down and land on each car. Even with the bandannas, Alex was still finding it hard to breathe.

When they got to the last car, Alex more or less ended up collapsing into the car. The Doctor caught her, and she leaned against him. Neither one of them were fairing well, with their lungs struggling. "'Scuse me, is that legal?" She turned to see a business man looking at them.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." A coughing sensation ended his attempts to lie. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, facing the other way, and almost gagged with how hard she was coughing.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" It was difficult to get the words out of her throat. It felt like sandpaper, and it made her cringe. "Do you have like any water or something?"

"Certainly." Right now, she wanted to _kiss _him when he said that. "Never let it be said I've lost my manners." They took of their makeshift masks, and took the drinks gratefully. The water didn't last fast with them, and they swallowed it right up. Ah, yes water. Beautiful wonder water. Water that she needed desperately for her dry throat. Beautiful water she will also never take for granted – she needed to start making a list.

"Is this the last layer?" The Doctor asked, as he peeked a look out the window.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."

Alex wondered something, "What's the rules for the fast lane? Any chance we can convince you to go down?"

"I would love to." That was great! Fast lane he were come! Before she could smile, he asked, "But how old are you?"

She paused, and her face went blank for a minute. She turned and looked at the ceiling. How old was she… Yes, right, age – how old did she make Alex? She knew her own age – back when she was in her old body, but knew that wasn't the proper age now. Now, what was it…?

It took her way longer than it should, and she knew she should be ashamed. "… Nineteen?" It came out tentative. Strengthening when she did indeed remembering that was the number. "Yeah, it was nineteen! I'm nineteen years old."

She smiled, but he shook his head. "Then I can't go down. Adults in New New York are considered twenty one years or above." Well _damn_. That sucked. Alex sighed deeply. Now what were they going to do?

"Couldn't we just cheat?" The Doctor asked desperately. They were so close, and yet they were so far.

"Well, I'd love to, but it's an automated system. The wheel would lock." Damn, the car now knows that she isn't the right age._ Curse you, stupid futuristic technology_!

"If you'll excuse me." The Doctor turned to go to the capsule. What was he doing? Could they even jump from this car all the way to the bottom?

According to the businessman, apparently not. "You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!"

Alex walked over to him and crouched down again. "I don't know about you, but I'm not too eager for you to have an early regeneration."

He shook his head. "No no, Allie, I'm not going to jump." Well, that's a good thing. "I just want to look." She leaned down, but decided not too far – with her stupid luck, she'd end up falling out of the hole. She saw little white lights dancing in the thick fog.

Then she heard it. It was quite at first, but it grew louder and louder. She realized it was some sort of screeching roar. "What's that noise?" The Doctor asked.

Even though it was probably rhetorical, she still answered, "I figured you would know."

He looked at her for a second. "I wish."

"I try not to think about it." The businessman replied, speaking of the noise. Some of the fog started to waft up into the car, Alex immediately leaned away. Oh no, she had _enough _of that _stupid _fog! She was not about to catch any more of it in her lungs. The Doctor waved it away from them.

"What are those lights? What's down there? I just need to _see._" She felt something sort of click in him. Suddenly, he was running back up to the front of the car. He had his screwdriver out, and opened the screen to show all of the wires. She felt him go almost manic. Ideas were now swirling around his mind, she could feel them racing. She became antsy and she started rocking on the balls of her feet – impressive considering her shoes. His manic energy was contagious, and she was just eating it all up. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a breeze."

She placed her arms on her knees, and rested her chin there. She was watching the smoke, waiting for the Doctor to be ready. She watched his back, and her eyes – maybe, _possibly _– drifted down to catch a look at that butt. Man, it was perky and she may have wanted to squeeze it – _just a bit_. Her eyes snapped back up to his head, and she felt another urge go through her. It was stronger than before, and she felt the sudden need to run her fingers through his hair. She wanted to do it so much that her fingers became numb with the sensation. She wanted to feel that soft gorgeous hair more than she wanted to feel that ass.

She wanted to tighten her fingers on his hair and never let go. Oh, she swooned. Oh that would be a dream come true. She could _imagine _it. She would lose track of her fingers, she knew his hair to be that thick. She would giggle, and tangle her fingers together with the strands. She'd then bury her face in its depth, and just breathe deeply. She wondered if his hair would have that same cinnamon scent that the rest of him seemed to have.

"Allie!"

Her eyes snapped opened and she looked up at him startled. "Wha – What?"

He had returned to her side and was giving her a strange look. She could _feel _a blush come to her cheeks. It was so powerful it didn't just take her cheeks, it took her whole face and she could even feel its warmth crawl down her throat and neck. His eyebrows came up, clearly intrigued by such a reaction. She saw him open his mouth, and she beat him too it. That's enough embarrassment for one day! "Look Doctor, what are _those _things?" She pointed down to the open capsule, and succeed in getting his attention as he turned to look at what she was talking about.

She turned to look herself and was happy that she had indeed pointed to something. The air had cleared enough, and she looked surprised when she saw they were giant… _crabs_. Seriously, that's what they were. They were _crabs_. Giant, hungry looking crabs. "Macra." The Doctor said, and Alex felt a chill run down her spine at the deadly recognition that was in his voice.

"Macra?" She tested the name and scrunched up her nose when it didn't sound right to her. "What's Macra then, Doctor?"

"The Macra used to be the scourge of the galaxy." Now she _definitely _had his attention away from her. He was now completely focused – something she wanted. Dude, she was so proud of herself for being successful. "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

"So, is that why they're here?" Alex asked, as the two time travelers took a look back to the crabs. "It's like you said, the filthier the gas the better. Is it the exhaust fumes from the cars?"

She felt a brush on her shoulder, and he was smiling at her. It made her tingle all over. "Brilliant." He didn't need to say anything else. She blushed, but for a whole different reason.

"They don't look like empire builders to me." The businessman said with some scorn. He had joined them over near the open capsule, clearly just as curious as the two brunets.

"Well, that was billions of years ago." The Doctor explained. "Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're beasts. But they're still hungry and my friend's down there."

"Oh, so now Martha is your friend?" Alex asked with a bit of annoyance. He looked over to her, and she just rolled her eyes. "You need to get your feelings straightened out, Mister."

"It's what I have you for." He teased.

She wouldn't take the bait and reached over to smack his arm. "I mean it." The Doctor's smile diminished as he looked back down to the Macra. He didn't want to face her, he didn't want to talk about it seriously.

Everyone turned up when they heard a clank at the top of the car. "Oh, it's like New Time Square in here, for goodness's sake!"

She saw some feet dangle from the open capsule on top. Alex titled her head, was that a _nun's _outfit? Or was she just imagining it? Her question was answered when the woman dropped down into the car. It was indeed a nun's outfit, and Alex's eyebrows shot up. _A nun_… The nun turned around and Alex had to add two more things to that thought, _with a gun and a cat's face_. Okay then, definitely surprised now.

"We've invented a sport, Allie!" She just rolled her eyes with a small laugh.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find." The cat-nun said. Alex just paused with a blank smile on her face. Okay, so she knew the Doctor. She turned to face the Time Lord and saw he clearly didn't know her – or didn't remember her, maybe.

The businessman brought their attention back to him for a moment. "No guns! I'm not having guns!" Ah, so English. Alex thought amused.

"I only brought this incase of pirates!" The nun replied. "Doctor, you've got to come with me."

He finally asked the burning question. "Do I know you?"

She became demure, turning her head away shyly. "You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me."

"Novice Hame!" He embraced her, grinning. Alex lifted her head up, why did that name sound so familiar? Alex shrugged after a minute, at least the Doctor liked her.

Or not, she reconsidered when the Doctor started to pull away. "No, hold on, get off." Maybe he _really_ didn't like her… "Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation." Alex looked over at the nun, startled. That sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She wasn't sure she wanted to remember from that description.

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor," She was insistent on that. "For so many years, under his guidance." His? Who's he? "And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."

The Doctor refused, simple and clearly. "I'm not going anywhere. You've got Macra living under this city. Macra!"

Alex winced when the sound bounced around the car. "Doctor!" She had made it clear about his noise.

He looked at her for no more than a second, but he did lower his volume. "And if my friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!" Okay, so apparently we were now official on Martha as being his friend. Alex shook her head. She wasn't sure to give it any faith that it would hold.

"You've got to come with me right now!" Novice Hame demanded.

The Doctor shot it back. "No, no, no, you're coming with us. We've got three passengers now."

Alex saw the look in her eyes. She could feel it. Novice Hame wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." She took the Doctor's wrist, and Alex noticed her press a button on a weird sort of green-lit metal watch. She didn't even think about it, but instinct had her immediately clinging to the Time Lord's arm. Wherever he was going, she's was staying with him. "Transport." Oh boy, Alex somehow didn't like the sound of that.

Neither did the Doctor. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" Alex closed her eyes and pressed her face to his bicep.

-x-

Alex couldn't even scream. She kept her eyes closed, but her mouth was open as if she was screaming. She couldn't quite tell even if she was. There was a horrible rining in her ear, and she squeezed her eyelids together. Everything hurt. Even a twitch hurt, it felt like even _breathing _hurt.

She wheezed a bit, and didn't want to move. She was just going to lay there, even if it was an awkward position. She coughed when some dust entered her mouth, _ew gross_! She heard the Doctor's voice, but couldn't hear what he was saying. The ringing wasn't going away, and it was making her head ache. She tried to shift her shoulder and couldn't stop the whine when her whole body sort of shook.

Oh, _that _wasn't a good idea.

It felt like every fiber of her being was being grinded up and spat out. She wanted to shudder again, but forced her body to stay still. She could feel her cells tensing up, and that seemed to make it worse. She clenched her fist so tightly that her palms stung and ached. She couldn't get herself to relax, and it was really starting to hurt.

She felt a touch on her shoulder, and her automatic reaction was to roll her shoulder away.

Her bones cracked and creaked and Alex bit her lip hard enough that the skin broke. She whimper – both at the pain now in her lip and coursing through her veins. "No," She moaned, "leave me alone. I want to die. Kill me right now."

Her voice sounded funny and wrong. It was all sort of garbled and rough and she didn't like it. The hands on her shoulders didn't go away, and they forced her to sit up. She let out a pained sort of noise – almost an _ah_, but sharper. She heard the Doctor now, and she heard him apologize. "I'm so sorry, Allie. But you need to sit up at least. It'll help the pain." She felt something brush against her head and leaned away from it. She turned to see the Doctor's face was close to her own. His breath fanned across her face. She blinked a few times.

"What…" She struggled to get the words out. He was right though, sitting did help. "What was _that_?"

"Rough transport." He gave her such a puppy-dogged look of apology that it melted her. "I'm so sorry, Allie."

She forced herself to look around, and felt like a child. Her movements were rough and forced. Her body had ended up tensing so much, it was difficult to get her muscles to unclench themselves. "S'not your fault." She murmured. "I'm just not experienced enough." She turned back to him, looking in his eyes. "Not sure I want to be, if that's what it's always going to be like."

He patted her shoulder. "It gets better." She continued to stare at him, and he added after a moment or two. "Barely."

She tried to get a look around, but she couldn't see anything. It was dark and quiet, and there was something about it that made her feel uneasy. "What's going on? Where are we?" Her voice sounded so loud in the quiet room – or at least she thought it was a room.

It was huge, judging from how far her voice traveled. "High above, in the over city."

Well, that's great, except where were all the people? They couldn't be the only ones here. It was an entire city, we're talking about! Alex looked around, waiting for any kind of moment. _Something _to show that there were others around. "Good!" The Doctor stood up, and she made a nose when her sudden support was gone. Her hands shot out and stopped her from falling backwards. This agitated her sore muscles and she shot a nasty look to the ignorant Time Lore behind her. "'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York that Allie and I would like a word!" Apparently, he hadn't forgotten that she had a few choice things to speak of. Well, at least there was _one _thing he hasn't forgotten that had to do with her. She though dryly. "They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!"

"But you're inside the Senate, right now." Alex's whole being froze. She said what? The human forced herself to stand up, despite her protesting muscles. She cracked her bones around, but wasn't concerned at the moment. She took careful steps, away from the Doctor and Novice Hame, and out into the dark.

"_Gah_!"

She tripped and fell on a step and landed roughly. She face planted onto the cold stone, and well if there had been any progress on her muscles it was gone now. She slide her arms under her chest, more like jerked them with how stiff her movements were, and rested on her forearms. She looked down and around, confused as to what exactly she had tripped on.

She got an eyeful when Hame turned on the lights. Well, she got an eyeful and the other two got an earful. An earful of her screams as she shot back and landed violently away from the _skeleton_. It had been laying not two inches from where she ended up. The Doctor rushed over to help her up, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the body. It was dust and bones, practically, and Alex realized it must have been there for _years_. Alex looked up to see the rows upon rows upon rows of skeletons – and she realized it must have been the Senate.

She was horrified. She turned around, and buried her face into the Doctor's chest. She couldn't see it anymore. She didn't want to. She clung to his jacket, and closed her eyes, but even there behind her lids she could still see the bodies and she felt sick. "How long's it been like this?" The Doctor asked, and she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders. She felt the tears cling to her lashes and she grasped one of his lapels, rubbing her face against it.

"Twenty four years." _That _long? Alex realized something.

She pulled her head far enough back to only see the Doctor. She tugged on his suit to get his attention. "Doctor, Doctor..." He looked down at her. His anger was forgotten – it was gone, she didn't feel the tingle of it anymore. Now, she could feel that he was just profoundly disturbed. "The Cassinis..." He didn't understand and his brow furrowed. "The Cassinis, Doctor, when you asked how long they had been driving... Doctor, they said they had been driving for twenty three years." One year after all of this death happened. His face cleared and it became sad, as sad as the look in her eyes. She knew, she could feel both of their emotions – so clearly, that it blurred together and became one. She couldn't tell where her sadness began and his ended. So many thoughts passed between them without one word spoken.

The Doctor turned back to Hame as Alex returned her face to his chest. "All of them? Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it _Bliss_." Alex peeked a look out, just enough to see that Hame walked over to the body – her view was thankfully blocked by the Doctor's arm – and pulled a circular token away. "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished – even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" The Doctor asked. Alex realized how important this was. They needed to get those people out, they needed to open the door so they could come up to the city. The world could start again, all they needed were people.

"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from chocking."

Alex tugged on his jacket again, and he looked down at her. "Doctor, we need to save them." She murmured. "We need to help them. We need to get them out."

The Doctor nodded and rubbed her back. She knew he agreed. It seemed he still had questions, though. "Who's 'we'? How did you survive?"

"He protected me." There was that _he _again. Hame spoke with such reverence and respect for whoever this was. Her tone brightened as she spoke about him. "And he has waited for you, these long years."

"Doctor." A low, grumbling voice echoed into their ears.

Alex perked up. She ignored the Doctor's indignant noise as she pushed him away and rushed towards the sound. "Face of Bo!" She was delighted when she turned the corner and there he was. "Oh, Face of Bo! I know you! I absolutely adore you!" She threw her arms out, as if she was going into a hug.

"Hello Alex," The voice was pleased to see her and that made her giddy. The Face of Bo knew her! That just made her feel so special!

"How are you?" Her voice turned gentle as she crouched in front of the glass. "Holding on, I hope?"

"Indeed," He drolled, and she didn't know how but she felt the sense that he was smiling at her. "We both know how to soldier on, don't we?"

She smiled. "Can't take us down. We're too stubborn for that." She turned and saw the Doctor was looking at her with a peculiar expression. "What?"

"You're acting as if you've known him all your life."

She titled her head back and forth. "Well, not _all _my life."

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins." Hame bowed her head in sorrow for her past mistakes.

"Old friend," The Doctor crouched down next to her in front of the glass. "What happened to you?"

"Failing..." Alex pressed her hand to the glass, and could feel his strength waning. He wasn't doing well, she could feel it. His response to her, she knew, was more to keep her happy than truth.

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under city would have fallen into the sea." She knew what he had done, and ran a hand down the glass.

"So he saved them." The Doctor finished.

"The Face of Bo wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running." She was amazed, to be perfectly honest. The bravery it must have taken.

"What about..." Alex turned slowly to Hame. "What about the other planets? Like other civilizations and all. We have to be allies with at least _some _of the other plants. Why not call for help?" If they knew other races, why wouldn't they come to help? They must have the technology and certainly the resources to fix things.

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years." That long? Alex was shocked. All of that time, and there was nothing that either of them could do. The Face of Bo could only do everything he could to stop the system from dying. Alex looked around to all of the technology surrounding her. All of this and yet it still it wasn't enough. All of this future technology that was supposed to make life easier, and it still wasn't enough.

"So the two of you stayed here – on your own, for all these years."

"We had no choice."

Both the Doctor and Alex had stood up to face her. "That's not true," Alex reached out and hugged her tightly. "You had a choice. You always have a choice. I know no one ever said this to you, Novice Hame, so please allow me to be the first. _Thank you_." She whispered into the cat's ear. "Thank you for staying here and doing what you could to keep these people alive." She pulled back and turned towards the Doctor for a moment, still speak. "Now, let us help you get those people out. Right, Doctor? I think it's time those people saw what the sun looked like."

He grinned, that manic energy coming back full swing. "Oh yes!"

-x-

First, the most important thing was to find Martha's car. She didn't understand most of it, but the Doctor had turned on some sort of map. Just when it seemed hopeless, a little blib came onto the screen. Alex's face lit up. "Martha!"

The Doctor, now with his sexy brainy specs on, was just as happy. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six – it still registers! That's Martha. I knew she was good."

"Damn straight," Alex laughed. "She's better than good, Doctor. She's _brilliant_." She took on his tone of voice and scrunched her nose up a bit, grinning. The Doctor grinned back, enjoying her using his phrase.

"Novice Hame, hold that in place." The Doctor jumped back from the screen. "Allie, hold onto this," He sort of shoved a huge piece of tubing into her hands. She let him, and kept still, following orders. He handed the other part to Hame, and ran along its length, jumping over lit up boxes and buttons. "Think, think, think," she seemed to have gotten through to him. _No hitting your head to remember things, kills brain cells_. Good that it got through to him. "Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds."

Hame wasn't so sure it would work. "There's not enough power!"

The Doctor reached the far wall with two screens, a whole _boat load _of wiring and even more buttons that just littered the wall. The little kid in her screamed _press everything_ and she knew that it was a good thing she was on the other side. "Ah, you've got power! You've got me!"

"That is the best response I have ever heard." Alex threw out, and the Doctor threw her a wild grin.

"I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." He was getting more and more excited as he spoke. Alex started bouncing, feeding off of it. She was getting twitchy again, a sure sign that she was becoming as excited as he was. "Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maxium! Allie," she perked up, "keep up the compliments!"

She just laughed. "Doctor, who knew you had such an ego!" Actually, now that she thought about it. She did. He could be a bit arragont at times – being the smartest person in the room _always _will do that to you.

"Allie, that was not a compliment!" He pointed out.

"Oh right," She giggled. "Sorry! You're _amazing_, Doctor. No one else comes close to computers, like you do." She paused and she could feel his beaming face from here. "How was that?"

"Perfect."

-x-

Once the Doctor was done with that part, he moved onto other things. He was sprawled out across the wires and tubes. He had some sort of little box in his hands with a knob on it. She had no idea what all of this way, to be honest. She was just doing what she was told to do. He needed her to shine the sonic on the knob while he worked with it.

At first, she had been more than excited to use the _infamous _sonic screwdriver. It wasn't until she actually got it in her hands that she learned she had _no idea _how to work it. "Just point and press the button, I've done everything else." The Doctor told her. That was grand, except she had an impossible time even _finding _the button. He finally had to snatch her hand and guide her to the button. His hands were warm and slightly rough along his fingertips. He got her finger on the button, and then they were set to go.

"I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." He banged his fist on the console, and Alex winced. Didn't his hand hurt after that? She knew if she had done it, her hand would be stinging.

"So what are you going to do?" Hame asked

The Doctor jumped up to pull on this _really _long switch. "This!"

Which caused the _most _anti-climatic response Alex had ever seen. He had been so excited, that just from his voice you had been expecting this fantastical reaction. Nope, all the lights on the screens went dark and everything powered down. "Is that supposed to happen?" She muttered under her breath.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Well, apparently not...

-x-

The Doctor was back on the floor. He had Alex aim the screwdriver at a different set of controls this time. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through." Yes Doctor, whatever you say. She was just nodding her head, in that way you do when you know there's no way you'll understand and you just go agree to whatever is being said.

"Doctor..."

He didn't have time to answer the Face of Bo. "Yeah, hold on, not now."

"I give you my last..."

Suddenly, everything started working again. Alex looked up and around. She looked back to the Doctor's face, and it was suddenly illuminated by the lights. She tried to stop her heart from fluttering. He turned to her, and for a moment they stared at each other. She felt woozy. His chocolate brown eyes were lit up by the lights of the machines. It was beautiful, Alex had to admit, at least to herself.

The Doctor broke the connection, and Alex doubted that he felt what she had been feeling. Of course not, she sighed and rolled her eyes at herself, he loves Rose, silly. "Hame, look after him! Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this."

"See what?" Alex turned and jumped up to her feet.

He grinned at her, "This, Allie..." He flipped the switch again, and this time everything gave a burst of energy. "The open road. Ha!" Alex's face brightened up and she laughed. She was jumping up and down and spinning all around.

"Doctor!" She couldn't help it.

"Allie!"

They threw their arms around each other. The Doctor lifted her up and spun her around. They were giggling into each other's ear. "We did it!" She whispered with such joy. "We got them out!"

"Yes we did." He was as happy as she was. "Just like the moon..." That made her giggle even more.

"We make a great team, Doctor." She said, finally pulling back and fixing his jacket.

"You know what, Allie?" She looked up to see him smiling at her. It was much softer and sweeter than his grin before. It made her respond with a similar smile. "We do make a good team." Something occured to her, and she smacked her arms to his chest. "Doctor! We have to tell them! The people down on the motorway! We have to tell them so that they give room for Martha!"

The Doctor was already moving. It took him no time at all to get a wide broadcast sent out to all of the cars. "Sorry, not Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram." The Doctor's tone was professional as if he did this sort of thing every day. She wondered how many times he had stepped in as a radiobroadcaster. She wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't his first time, "My name's the Doctor. And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now."

Alex rushed over to the window to look out into the city. She got up on her tiptoes. She used the windowsill as leverage. She looked across the way and could see the motorway, just barely in the distance. "Come on, people!" She yelled out as if they could hear her from that distance. "Drive up! Come out and into the city! You'll love the sunlight! I promise!"

"I've opened the roof of the motorway." The Doctor continued on. She felt a grin hit her shoulders, though. "Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast! We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way!"

"There we go!" Alex was laughing in elation. She saw the cars start to appear from the opening. First it was a few, and then more and more and more cars drove up and into the air. "That's it! Come on up! Soak up that beautiful sunlight!"

"Oi!" The Doctor spoke directly to his friend now. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Martha! Drive up!"

"She's got access, Doctor!" She told him. "The cars are moving away from the fast lane!"

He nodded his head. "You've got access above! Now go!"

She rushed back over to him. "Can we talk to specific cars?" The Doctor turned to look at her, and then suddenly grinned. He got what she was saying.

He first tuned into Brannigan's and Valerie's car. Brannigan was over the moon, she could hear it from all the way over here. "You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up! 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you." Alex tugged on his arm, and she brought him dancing over to the window she had just been looking out at. Her cheeks were hurting so much, but she couldn't stop smiling – she refused to stop smiling. "The city of New New York. And it's yours."

It was a truly gorgeous sight. Alex watched as the cars flew around and around, traveling across the city and past the abandon skyscrapers. "Make you a deal, Brannigan," Alex leaned over to press her head to his shoulder so she could speak into the mic. "We'll let you drive all you alike, if you give us back the Doctor's coat."

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, ma'am."

"You betcha!" Alex laughed. "I keep my deals fair and simple. More than easy for people to accept." That earned her a laugh from the couple driving happy in the car, and the Time Lord next to her.

"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six," he tuned into Martha's car, "I've sent you a flight path." He grabbed Alex's arm – that she had totally had forgotten held the sonic screwdriver. She watched as he aimed her hand towards the map, and pressed her finger to the button to turn it on. She wasn't sure how he knew, but he let her hand drop once it was complete. She had been edged around, so now she stood in front of him. She leaned forward to watch all the people, and she felt the furnace that was the Doctor's chest against her back. "Come to the Senate."

"_On my way_!" She was clearly glad to hear from them as much as they were happy to hear from you.

"You've got lots of 'splanning to do, Martha Jones!" Alex mocked playfully into the mic. "I'm demanding details, _all _of them, Missy! The moment you get here! You and me, gonna have a talk about everything that happened!"

"_You're on, Alex_." That's what she likes to hear!

"Doctor! Alex!"

Both turned, with smiles on their faces. Their smiles disappeared quickly and their joy was forgotten when they saw that the glass holding the Face of Bo was cracking. "No!" Alex was horrified, and she rushed over to help. "Bo!"

-x-

There had been nothing that she could do. He ended up laid out across the floor. The others had become quiet and respectful. They all knew what this was. It was his final goodbye. "Doctor?"

She didn't move her eyes away from the Face of Bo. "Over here." The Doctor's tone was soft and calm, but she could feel his storm of emotions burning within him. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes, from both her own emotions and the Doctor's.

"Doctor!" She could hear Martha's happiness – feel it even better. She felt it when it dropped at the sight of the three of them surrounding the Face of Bo. "What's that?"

The Doctor was better at explaining things than she was right now. She felt his arm slide around her shoulders, and it pressed her against his side. She scooted a bit closer to him, and bit her lip before wincing. It was still raw and it hurt when her teeth slide back into the open wound. She rubbed her bottom lip a bit, trying to ease the pain. She had to do something, and ended up sliding the tip of her finger into her mouth in order to bite on something. "It's the Face of Bo. It's alright. Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry."

Alex had to explain something. She had to make it clear to Martha. "He was really the one that saved you, Martha. He gave the last of his energy so that we could open the motorway." She scrubbed her eyes roughly. She didn't want to cry, she _didn't _want to cry. "It was all him, from the beginning to now."

"My lord gave his life to save the city." She saw out of the corner of her eye Martha kneel next to Hame. She could feel that Martha had deep respect for the Face of Bo. That's good, he deserved it. "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that." The Doctor was in denial. He didn't want to see it. She could feel the emotions in his soul. Too many people had died, he refused to have any more. "Not old Bo. Plenty of life left."

"It's good to breathe the air once more." Bo sighed out, taking in as much as he could for the final time.

"Who is he?" Martha asked. Alex knew, she knew who he was. It was something that even with her _horrible _memory was enough of a shock that she remembered. She didn't say anything, she just covered her hand over her mouth.

"I don't even know." You don't know _yet_, Doctor. Alex thought. You will. "Legend says the Face of Bo has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time." Bo's words were overflowing with wisdom. Age will do that to you. "You know that, old friend, better than most."

"The legend says more."

The Doctor looked over at Hame sharply. "Don't. There's no need for that."

Hame continued on, "It says that the Face of Bo will speak his final secret to a traveler." While the Doctor may not want to hear it, Alex knew it was important. It was _very _important. _Stupid memory for not remembering what it was that made it important_. Ugh, stupid, stupid memory.

She could feel the Doctor's feelings swirling around. He didn't want to hear this, she could feel it. He didn't want to hear any of this. He wanted to move on, he wanted to move away from this. Hearing this, having to admit to this, would admit to the fact that the Face of Bo is going to die. She knew that he didn't want to do that. Too much death already seen by his eyes, he didn't want to see more. "Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind – as you are the last of yours, Doctor." Alex pressed a hand to his knee. She could feel it slamming into him. He didn't want this. Yet, this was hitting him so much harder than the death of the whole planet did. She could feel it as if it were her own emotions. She rubbed his knee, trying to console him, but she knew nothing could do that. At least, nothing could do that right now.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go."

"I must." Alex pushed a knuckle back into her hand as the tears started to become harder to control. They slowly slid down her cheeks and stalled at her chin. She was crying for her sadness, she was crying for the Doctor's desperation. She was crying for Hame's despair and Martha's distant feelings of melancholy respect. "But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

Bo's eyes looked to Alex's once finally time. She broke down, sobbing, when he could feel her message as if he had spoken it to her directly. _Take good care of him_. She pressed her hands to her eyes and just lost it. She didn't have any control over it anymore. However, through her utter grief she could feel it. She felt it hit the Doctor like a train. Before, she felt his desperation – and knew that he was close to crying himself. Now, she felt his astonishment. He stared, at nothing completely unable to comprehend what the Face of Bo had just told him.

Alex got up, and the Doctor's arm slipped from her. She was walking out of the room, away from the emotions. She couldn't handle it, even the Doctor's. It was too much for her to take – especially given the day she's gone through. She closed her eyes, and just kept walking. It was a miracle she didn't trip on anything. "Allie, Allie!"

"No!" She whirled around and knew that frankly she looked terrified. "Don't make me go back into that room!"

His face softened. "I'm not going to, okay?" She could feel herself trembling. He was walking to her slowly, as if she was a ticking time bomb. She realized she was gripping her pant legs. She could only imagine how she looked, and was struck with how _childlike _her image must be. "Come here, Allie..." She hesitated, until he opened his arms wide. He was astonished or confused anymore. He was okay – at least on the surface, she could tell he was still mulling it around in his brain.

She'd take what she could get. With all of these emotions of the others, it was hard for her to focus. She needed something solid. She rushed over to the Doctor, and threw her arms around his waist. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed. He cradled her carefully and gently to his body, and murmured words of comfort into her hair.

Neither noticed Martha standing off in the doorway of the two rooms, disappointment and envy in her veins.

-x-

They had returned back to the alleyway where they had run into those salespeople. Alex had finally calmed herself down, but she was tired. She asked the Doctor if it was alright to have a nap first, before they go on anymore adventures. He just raised his eyebrows, and gave her a look as if to say, _why wouldn't it be? You really think I'd stop you_? She stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation.

"All closed down." The Doctor announced as he peeked a look into one of the booths just to make sure.

"Happy?" Martha asked.

"Happy happy." The pun was not lost on the brunette and she giggled. Only _now _does he find the selling of fake emotions funny enough to laugh about. Earlier, Alex was sure he would have chomped her head off if she had tried to make that joke. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just whatever city needs – cats in charged!" From his tone, Alex knew he had dealt with that before, and it had been a pretty bad experience. "Come on, time we were off."

He took Alex's hand back into his, and she knew what he was doing. She had lost her marbles a bit back in the Senate. She was touched, frankly, that he was worried enough to give her comfort like. The whole time they walked back, he didn't let go of her hand once. He kept it tightly in his. She felt tingles all in her body, and refused to look into it. "But what did he mean, the Face of Bo?" Both turned when Martha asked that. Alex looked down, trying to remember. "'You are not alone'."

"I don't know." She wasn't sure what it was, but something about those words sent a violent shudder through her body.

They turned to look at her. She shrugged. "Sorry, I just... I don't know, my gut doesn't like those words. There's something about it..." She gave another shudder.

"You're gut...?" He teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh shush _you_!" She pushed him a bit with her free hand, but it was hard to get enough force with just one hand – and her non-dominate hand to boot.

"You've got us. Is that what he meant?" Martha was smiling, and it made Alex a bit gleeful too. That was a nice thought, she decided. She liked it, a lot.

The Doctor shook his head, and Alex noticed that the edges of his lips were twitching as if he was holding in a smile. As if he was trying not to laugh at them. Alex felt offended – truly, not at all playfully offended. How _rude_! Alex felt that didn't even begin to cover it. "I don't think so. Sorry."

Well _fine_, Alex pulled her hand away. It was difficult since – apparently, she didn't even _know _she had done this – she had tangled her fingers with his. He turned to look at her, confused. She was undeterred and finally got her hand free. "Oh, I'm sorry," She said sarcastically. "Did you want to hold my hand? Well since, _clearly_, you find it _so hilarious _that we want to be there for you. I don't think you need my hand anymore." To be even more difficult, she put her foot out to spin at a ninety degree angle, and marched over to stand beside Martha. She crossed her arms. "Go on, you clearly don't need either of us to walk with you." _Take care of him my ass_... Alex grumbled in her head. He doesn't want to be taken care of! How is she supposed to do that? It'll take no less than a miracle with him...

The Doctor huffed out a breath, and she rolled her eyes. He was clearly annoyed with her response, probably thinking something along the lines of how she takes things so seriously. God, he really did need to get a clue when it came to interacting with people. "Then what could it be?" Martha asked, and Alex could feel that she appreciated her behavior. It showed Martha wasn't the only one bothered.

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor was flippant about it. Alex's head went backwards with the force of her eyes rolling. Idiot. "Back to the TARDIS, off we go."

He started to move, and she didn't turn to look at Martha. "I'm not going anywhere, are you?"

"No way." Martha made it sound as if there was no other option. Alex looked around and noticed two fold up chairs. She picked up the first one and let Martha sit there. Then she picked up the second one and plopped down into it. The two of them sat primly, legs and arms crossed.

The Doctor turned when he heard the movement of the chairs. He took a deep breath, as if drawing together his patience. Alex snorted, he had no right to be feeling that way. If anyone needed patience in this instance, it was going to be her and Martha. "Alright, you staying?"

"Oh definitely, Doctor." She drolled, just to irritate him.

"'Till you talk to us properly, yes." Martha added. "He said 'last of your kind'. What does that mean?"

The Doctor was trying to be flippant. He was trying way too hard, and it made it too obvious. Alex felt a little bad – just a tad bit – since she knew what 'last of your kind' meant for him. She refused to let that take over, Martha had ever right to know. Especially now. "It really doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!" Alex snapped, so sick of his attitude. "You don't get to play this card anymore, Doctor! You always are talking, talking, _talking_! But you never speak a _word_! That's not fair to her, Doctor, and you and I both know it! She has a right to know, especially _now_. It's been brought up, and she has a right to know what's going on. You can't hide it anymore." She was gritting her teeth so hard it was giving her a headache, "So help me, you idiot, if you don't start speaking _I _will. And that's not what she wants, Doctor. She wants _you _to tell you! To show that you at least trust her a _little _bit!"

There was silence. Martha looked at Alex astounded. Neither brunet looked at her. The Doctor and Alex had their eyes locked, as her nostrils flared. There was a silent conversation, and some of her anger dissipated. She stood up and walked over to him, "Come on, Doctor. I know..." She held out her hands as if she was going to touch him, but then thought better of it. She didn't notice how the Doctor had put a hand out too. He lowered it when she lowered hers. "I _know_," she looked at him earnestly. "But you need to tell her, Doctor. You can't hide it anymore. Now she knows that you lied. You _need _to tell her. I know it's hard, but..."

This time she did put her hands on his shoulder. "It's okay. It's hard, and that's okay." She rubbed his shoulders, trying to ease the tension she realized is there. "It's _okay_." She whispered softly to him. His eyes were pools of pain and despair and centuries of heartbreak.

A soft, collective noise rose up through the buildings. The three time travelers looked around, and Alex realized it was the citizens – the people of New New York. She instantly became enchanted. "It's the city." Martha breathed. "They're singing."

She felt hands on her shoulders and turned her eyes to the Doctor. He was looking at her so sadly, she knew this wasn't easy for him. She ran her hands across his shoulders again. She tried to give him strength, even if it was just a little bit. "I lied to you," He turned to Martha. After a moment, he turned back to Alex. It was easier to look into those expressive, empathetic blue eyes and tell his story. "'Cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky."

Alex's eyebrows came together. She ran her hands down his chest and went in for a hug. He had to turn to Martha to look at her, but she could feel it made him feel better. She rocked him back and forth. This time it was her that was helping him, giving him strength. She rubbed his back as he continued. "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Bo was wrong. There's no one else." She knew her heart was breaking for him. She could feel Martha's heart break. She could feel the Doctor's loneliness echo in what felt like her very bones.

She hugged him tighter. She was doing what he did before, refused her to get too far away from him. He wasn't going to that lonely place where he wallowed in his pains. No, she was going to keep him away from there, and in her arms, in a place where he knew that at least there was one person out there who would always be there for him. "What happened?" Martha asked in a quiet voice.

The Doctor stood there for a moment. He was moving, Alex realized, but he was keeping her wrapped around him. He grabbed his own chair, and sat down. Alex quickly fixed her chair so it was much closer to his. She sat down and grabbed onto his hand with both of hers. He squeezed it, needing comfort, and she squeezed back, always ready to giving comfort. "There was a war." Alex's throat closed up. Yes, a great and terrible war. "A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost." Her heart was in her stomach, and Alex was running her fingers across the back of his hand. She was tracing symbols from there to his palm and back. She could feel his pain and misery and sorrow. What a horrible time to be a Time Lord, she thought, to have to fight that war against the Daleks. "They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky." That beautiful burnt orange sky, Alex thought so saddened by him and his emotions and that thought. "Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song…"

Her heart and mind and imagination became so entranced by his words. She could imagine it, she could when he described it with such fervor. It made her heart sing, and it also made her even sadder. It sounded like the most beautiful planet to ever exist in the entire cosmos, and yet she would never be able to visit such a place. What was even worse was that she knew that the Doctor would never be able to. He would never be able to visit his home, to revisit that beautiful planet that he spoke of with such passion.

She turned to look at the far wall as he continued to speak about Gallifrey. Oh, how she wished she could have seen it. She never imagined how close she would become to that planet – and to those people.

But that's a tale for a much later period.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Hello everyone, here is the next chapter of the story. I am sorry that it took longer than the last chapters have. I got really busy and I wasn't on nearly as much as I was before. It's okay now, I got it done and everything is great! Please enjoy.**

**Has not been looked over. All mistakes are mine.**

Alex didn't wait for the slow pokes. Nope, she just took off out of the TARDIS the _moment _– the _second _– it landed. She looked around and took a deep breath. Ah yeah, that hits the stuff. That good and slightly brisk air. Oh, she loved that kind of air to fill your lungs. It always felt like it would go through you when you got a good lungful of this kind of air. "Where are we?" She whirled around as the Doctor came out. She skipped back over to him, and took his arm. "Where are we?" She tugged a bit, and couldn't hold back her grin. "_Tell me_!"

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze." The Doctor grinned.

"I know right?" Alex took another full inhale. "I just love this kind of air. And the sea. I do love the sea too."

"Nice and cold." The Doctor said, taking the words right out of her mouth. "Lovely. Allie, have you met my friend?" He turned her towards the monument behind them.

Alex's eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot up. "No _way_!" Her voice echoed across the sea, and the Doctor just looked so happy. "Statue of Liberty!" She threw her arms out as she rushed towards the lady as if she was just going to hug the base. She paused a few feet away from the two other time travelers. "We're in _New York_! Proper New York!" Alex whirled around to get a great look at her country. "We're in _my _country! Proper U.S.A.!" She threw her fist up into the air, pumping it a bit. She was rallied by her country's nationalism. "I welcome you, English people, to the best and one of the most powerful nations in the world," she threw her arm out towards the city horizon as if she was an announcer. "Welcome to the United States of America!"

"Gateway to the new World." Alex came back over to the Doctor and hugged him. He lifted up his arm so she wrapped herself around his waist, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ""Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled mass yearning to break free…'" Alex was vibrating against the Time Lord. God, she was just so _excited_! More excited than she had been before. She wanted to feel bad, but she just _loved _her country! I can't help it, Alex thought.

"That's so brilliant." Well, at least Martha was excited to come to New York like she was. "I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new…" She trailed off, knowing she would never succeed in getting the right amount of News' in.

Alex felt that as a challenge. She lifted up her hand, thinking. "New, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, new, New York." She listed it off on her fingers to make sure she got the right number. She slowed down in a few parts, having two both do the count to make sure it was the right amount, and to say it without it just garbling up.

"Very good, Allie." She perked up especially when the Doctor said that. She loved when he gave her praise. "Well, there's the genuine article." They walked over to the other side of the island, and looked out onto the city. The Manhattan skyline, oh Alex sighed so happily. She just traced all of the skyscrapers with her eyes. "So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally."

"That's a _horrible _name." Alex commented. "I'm glad they didn't stick with that. Not to mention, way too much of a tongue twister to say it twice." She tried it a few time, and kept messing up. Her nose scrunched up. "See what I mean? New York sounds _much _better." And it was _much _easier for people to say. The Doctor nodded his head in agreement.

"I wonder what year it is 'cause look," Martha gestured out towards the skyline. "The Empire State building's not even finished yet." That was history right there, Alex was just mystified by it. The Empire State building, Alex knew, had been the tallest building for nearly forty years when it became completed. They were seeing it, Alex smiled with joy, and they were _seeing _it as it went on its way to being completed.

"Work in progress." The Doctor murmured. "Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history."

"You always know your history." She had to interrupt to say. "We'd all be screwed if you didn't know your history." She paused, thinking of something. "Although, don't they like teach that to Time Lords or something? That _has _to be mandatory – _now children, if you're going to travel through space and time, we need to learn our history._" Her voice took on a teacher's tone. She could imagine all of the baby Time Lords all gathered around and eager to listen – at least, she'd like to believe they would be eager to listen.

"It is mandatory." The Doctor confirmed. "We Time Lords know our history." Alex nodded, "Now, as I was saying, the date must be somewhere around –"

Martha beat him too it. "November 1, 1930." That's oddly specific. Alex turn to look over at her friend – the American _knew _she wasn't a secret Time Lord or something, at least. Oh. Alex saw her friend holding a newspaper. That made _much _more sense.

"You're getting good at this." The Doctor said, as he turned to her as well.

"She was cheating," Alex teased. "Look it up on a newspaper." Martha threw her a look and she giggled. "But yeah, good observations skills to see it." That she had to give her, considering Alex knew she would have just walked right past the paper and never have seen it.

"Eighty years ago." Alex looked over the alien's shoulder when he took the paper.

"_Oh sweet Jesus awesome_!" Both English people turned towards her. "Don't you understand what this means?! This is even better than our other two adventures, _combined_!" Alex was jumping around, just completely sucked in and so excited she couldn't put it into words.

"Alex, _what _are you talking about?" Martha asked, staring at her friend strangely.

"The Great Depression, Martha!" Her tone was exasperated. "Come on, girl, know your history! The Great Depression started when the stock markets crashed on October 29, 1929. It never really fixed itself until World War II came around. Nothing jumpstarts an economy like war, let me tell you, Martha." She waved her hand, wanting Martha to remember that. "After that, they placed laws in order to keep the stock market from crashing so hard like that again. 'Cause here's the thing, the economy goes through its ups and downs. That's normal, believe it or not. This kind of crash, though, was unnatural. The reason for it crashed in the first place was because people were doing what was called _margins_. They would only pay ten percent of what was owed. Which was a _huge _problem, because – and this is exactly what happened – when the first guy in lined turned to the next guy and told him he needed money, well, the guy didn't have any. So, he'd turn to all of the people that owed him money. It became a vicious cycle.

"It escalated quickly. Unbelievable so." Alex continued on, oblivious to the looks of amazement on the other two time travelers faces. "The economy pretty much did a nose dive, and it crashed and burned. It took _years _before it was able to get onto it's feet again. Like I said, World War II was what really put the economy back into its proper place. After the war, though, let me tell you. We put in some _serious _laws about keeping the stock market in check. While I did say that the economy does its own natural ups and downs, we certainly never wanted it to go through something like _this _again. We strategically put in laws to make sure that it never did." She turned to look at her friends, and her eyebrows furrowed when she saw their looks. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know _all_ of that?" The Doctor's tone was just astonished. Alex knew what he was thinking and pursued her lips.

"I may have a terrible memory, Doctor." She replied, a bit hotly she had to admit. "I do love my history. It's important stuff, man! More people need to know it. Breaks my heart that we're putting less and less effort into having the next generation know how our country came to be." Stupid ideas about how _it doesn't make money, so why bother_? And all that _stupid _stuff.

He held up his hands, "I meant _no _offense, Allie." She heard the rest of his tone though, _take it easy_. She rolled her eyes and turned back around to look out onto the skyline with new eyes. This was the Great Depression. _This _was proper history, proper history that she knew all about. It was more beautiful and more exciting than the other adventures the Doctor took her on.

Martha walked over to her friend, speaking as she did. "It's funny 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are." Alex couldn't agree more. They were _in _history, something that no one could say anymore – at least in their time period. No one could properly tell them what it was like to live in a time like the Great Depression. But these people, here? People just across the harbor. They could tell her, and that just made her _giddy_. "It's real. It's now."

Alex went back over to the Doctor and wrapped her arms around his arm. "So, lovely man, where do you think we should go first?" There were plenty of places Alex wanted to go, and knew that the Doctor would have the best idea as where to start.

"I think our detour just got longer." He showed her the headline, and she felt Martha come up next to her to see as well.

"'Hooverville Mystery Deepens." Martha read out loud. Alex's eyebrows came up and looked up at the Doctor, excited. She smiled at him, and he returned the gesture. "What's Hooverville?"

Alex's hand shot up. "I know! Oh, I know!"

-x-

The Doctor let her take it away, and she was just happy that he did. "Herbert Hoover is the 31st president of the United States, yeah?" Martha nodded. "Now, since it's 1929, it must be..." She had to think about it or a second. "A year or so that he's been the president, yeah?" This time she turned to the Doctor, and he nodded his head to show she was correct. She moved on, giddy with the knowledge that she _knew _she knew. "Okay, so New York has been a boom town – you probably would be more familiar with 'The Roaring '20s'." Unlike the Doctor, Alex liked to make sure that Martha was keeping up with her in her presentation. "It was then that the Wall Street crashed. Like I said, remember?"

"Yeah, when was that, 1929?" Alex was so proud.

"Yes indeed, Martha. Very good! October 29, 1929. Also know as Black Tuesday to some. So, almost overnight hundreds of thousands of people are out of money. They've got nothing, and like _that_," Alex snapped her fingers, "they were unemployed and very quickly they didn't even have housing. So, with no where else to go, people ended up in what were called Hoovervilles. They existed all over the country. In New York," she gestured to the city that they were in, "the Hooverville was in Central Park – one of the only places that they could properly set it up."

Martha was skeptical. "What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?" Alex nodded her head, but she could see that Martha still didn't believe her. They walked over into the center of the park, and there stood a collection of quickly put together shacks and tents. Random barrels were everywhere with fires lit in them to give at least a little bit of warmth.

Suddenly, Alex felt like she had run into a brick wall. The breath was knocked from her lungs, and she was instantly tensed up. She closed her eyes and started to walk backwards. The _emotions _that grasped her were powerful. It made her feel sick to her stomach. "Allie?" She didn't hear the Doctor's voice. She didn't even realize what she was doing. She turned back away from the town and walked the other way. "Allie!"

She just walked towards a bench that was not too far away, and she ended up just sort of collapsing into it. She gasped for breath and tears fell from her eyes. It was despair and hopelessness. Two emotions that she knew _very _well, and really didn't want to relive them. She felt hands on her shoulders, and just somehow she knew who they belonged too. "I'm sorry," She murmured quietly. "They're very sad, Doctor. Very sad and they feel hopeless. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I don't want to live through that again." These kinds of feeling hit way too close to home. It hadn't been very long since she had been dealing with these very emotions herself.

"Come here, Allie." The Doctor had crouched down and pulled her into his arms. She rested her chin on his shoulder and pressed her cheek to his. His voice was nice and soothing. She felt more tears fall down her cheeks and break off of hers to fall across his own. He soothingly rubbed her back, and she leaned into the affection. "If I keep you close, do you think you can go into Hooverville?" He pulled away from her far enough that they looked into each other's eyes.

Alex bit her lip and she winced when her teeth sunk into her still tender skin. She looked down at her folded hands, one still wrapped up a bit from the paper cut. She remembered that the Doctor had looked at it just before they came here, and he was very happy to tell her it was healing up quite nicely. She picked at the gauze, and thought about it. "I... Maybe? I want to try, at least. But I don't know..."

"I'll hold you tight, Allie." She let those words sink into her thoughts for a moment. She then nodded her head. He gingerly helped her up, and they started walking back towards Hooverville. Alex couldn't hold back a whine as they got nearer to the make shift town, and didn't even realize she was starting to drag her feet. "Come on, Allie." He caught her eyes. "Trust me. Focus on me."

She slowly nodded her head. She closed her eyes and turned to press her face into his bicep. There, she could focus on him, like he told her. He was complicated, she distance realized. He was complicated and vast. There was so much too him, even to his emotions. She supposed that living for as long as he has would do that to you. She could feel so many emotions, and she realized that one of them was curiosity mixed with amazement.

She couldn't figure it out why he would be feeling that. She tightened her grip on his hand and then she got a glimpse into it. His emotions heightened when she felt his gaze on her. He realized that he was curious and amazed at _her_. Little old her, she thought with some light headed glee. She didn't think anything was special, she had lived with this empathy all of her life. She had always been more sensitive than others. She remembered once her parents told her that she always – _always _– cried whenever another child was crying. It never had anything to do with what was happening with her. She could be completely happy, but if another child was crying she would instantly pick up on it.

Was that special? Alex didn't think so. Maybe it was perspective. The only reason why she may not think it was special was because she had dealt with it all her life. Maybe the reason why the Doctor was so amazed and curious was because he hadn't dealt with it nearly as much as she had. She knew the Doctor found all sorts of people special – especially his companions. She decided she'd ask him about it. Later, of course, they were busy with other things at the moment.

Alex felt a weird spike of anger rush across her skin, giving it that almost familiar tingling sensation. She peeked an eye out passed the Doctor's arm, and she saw two men fighting. She didn't think about it, she just rushed towards the men. She heard the Doctor and Martha call her name, but she ignored it. "Hey!"

They didn't hear her – or they ignored her, she wasn't sure. They continued to fight. She huffed a bit but refused to back down. "_Hey_!" This time, she made sure she was right between them. She got a good grip of the fronts of their collars and pushed them apart. "Stop it!" She gave them a minute to get their breaths back. "Okay now, I'm going to ask you to explain what's going on. I'd appreciate it if you did it nicely." She turned to the guy who seemed to initiate the attack. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to look into his eyes. Hers weren't judging, just concerned. "May I ask what's going on?"

She felt him relax, the anger was dissipating and the tension in his shoulders was leaving. That was good. "He... He stole my bread, Ma'am."

She smiled to praise him for telling her calmly and nicely what had happened. "No need for the Ma'am. Please just call me Alex." She then patted his shoulder. "And thank you for explaining it nicely to me." She then turned to the other man. She tried to repeat the process. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to look into his eyes. "Now, did you take his bread?" She wasn't judgmental. She couldn't be, knowing that everyone here was starving.

For some reason, it made her feel guilty for the five star meal she had part taken in with Martha and the Doctor back on the TARDIS. "I don't know what happen. He just went crazy!"

That snapped the anger back into the first man. He lunged and the two of them went at it again. Alex was pushed back and she growled to herself. She put her index fingers into the corner of her mouths.

_Wooooooooo_.

Her whistle was sharp and loud, but it was effective. The men broke apart instantly to look over at her. She lowered her hands and glared at the two men. "We're going to try that again, alright? This time I demand that both of you behave like the human beings I _know _you can be. You lost your homes and your money, you did _not _lose your dignity. I refuse to have you two turn back into simple wild animal. You are better than that."

"The little lady is right." Alex looked up, and saw that an older black man had walked over to the commotion. He tipped his hat to her, and she smiled. She felt a sudden sense of respect from the other men, and she figured that this man was 'in charge' so to speak. He turned to look over at the accused man. "I'd think real hard before you lie to her again."

The man paused, but she felt his defeat. He was ready to admit it, "I'm stravin', Solomon." There was a groan within the crowd, as 'Solomon' held out his hand. The man hesitated, and she saw him look over towards her. She knew he was remembering her words, _You lost your homes and your money, you did not lose your dignity_. Alex nodded her head to encourage him, and he pulled out the loaf of bread.

Solomon then turned towards Alex. "And what would you have me do with this piece of bread, Miss Alex?"

She could feel his emotions and knew this to be a test. "I'd do this..." She took the bread and then broke it in as equal of a half as she could. She gave each half to each of the men.

"I approve, Miss Alex." Solomon said, and she finally got to see him smile and it made her smile back. It reminded her of a fatherly smile. It made her heart clench just the tiniest bit. He then turned to address the men. "We're all stravin'. We all got families somewhere. No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War." Great War, Alex knew this. It had been another name for World War I, before the second World War came around. She understood why people would call it that, at the time they had _never _experienced such a expansive war as this one. As the name explains, it was a war the _whole world _fought in at the same time. It had never been seen before. "A lot of us did. And the only reason we go through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things got, we still acted like human beings. It's just like Miss Alex said, we are _better _than that. It's all we got."

The men go their own way. Alex suddenly felt as if she had been dropped back into a frigid ocean. With helping the men get through their fighting, that gave her something to focus on. Now that the fighting was over and they were gone, suddenly all of the depressing emotions around her sucked her right back in. She was thankful when Solomon came over, "I'm very impressed Miss Alex."

This gave her something else to focus on. She smiled a bit shyly. "To be complete honest, I didn't even really think about it. I just sort of leaped in." She laughed as he smiled at her. "I just don't like people fighting. Especially at a time like... _this_." She looked around to all of the other people and their situations. Fighting each other at a time like this, it just seemed so pointless and stupid.

"I agree." Solomon was wise, she could tell. Just being in front of him and around him made her respect him. "So, who might your friends be?"

She felt the Doctor before he had even asked. She turned around and saw that both of her friends were behind her. She saw some sort of emotion in the Doctor's eyes – gentle and sweet and encouraging – but she couldn't quite figure it out. She ignored it and introduced them. "This is the Doctor and Martha."

"A doctor." He seemed impressed. "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day." He warmed his hand over a fire. She felt the Doctor's hand on her back. It gave her tingles and ignored it. She leaned against the Doctor's side, feeling tired from the weight of the emotions.

"How many people live here?" _You'll be surprised, Martha_, Alex thought humorlessly.

"At any one time, hundreds." She felt Martha was unbelieving of that. It was just like she had thought. "No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." He laughed, and it wasn't a funny 'haha' sort of laugh. "So, you're welcome. All three of you. Especially you, Miss Alex, if you are able to keep these men in line." Alex couldn't help but smile. She felt the Doctor smile as well. "But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." They followed him to where they could see over the tree line. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

Alex knew it was an excellent question. It was an excellent question that she didn't have an answer for. She didn't even have an excuse for why they were able to do that. It just didn't make sense, she knew that.

-x-

Alex had gotten some food from the TARDIS. She knew that it would be a long trek – as the Doctor had warned her – but she didn't care. If it gave them food, even for a day or so, she would do it. It took her a few hours, but she had pulled it off. She provided bread and water for all the people. She apologized that she couldn't provide more, but it was all she could do. The men and woman assured her that it _was _enough, and many of them thanked her profusely.

She walked over with a loaf of bread and a bottle of water, and saw that both Martha and the Doctor were with Solomon. "Here," She said when she was close enough. "I made sure to grab this before the others took their share. Hopefully, there's more but I just wanted to make sure that you at least had this." She handed him the items and smiled at him.

He looked at her a little more closely, "You must be an angel in disguise, Miss Alex. I have never seen someone in your position give us people in Hooverville food and water like this so freely." She figured from the people before that they seemed to believe she was one of the few rich people who had been unaffected. She honestly didn't care, as long as they took the food and water.

"I'm just a person." She said, suddenly feeling shy again. It didn't help that the Doctor's gaze was on her – and she could _feel _his pride. "But thank you."

Solomon smiled and then went into his tent. The Doctor continued on his conversation, "But what does missing mean?" Alex realized he must have brought up the headlines for that paper they had found. "Men must come and go all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register."

He sat down onto his hammock and then invited them in. They took their seats, as he spoke. "This is different."

"In what way?" Martha asked.

"Someone takes them." Someone? Alex perked up at this even more. Who could someone be? "At night." Oh, that's even worse! "We hear something. Someone calls out for help. But the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

She felt a chill run down her spine. "And you're sure someone's taking them?" Alex stared at the Doctor strangely.

"That's not kidnapping?" She asked, surprised. "Doctor, he _just said _they get taken – like they _yell out _for help. That doesn't could a kidnapping?" She blinked a few times at him. "I don't want to know what you would classify as kidnapping then..."

Solomon insisted on his point. "Doctor, when you've got next to nothing, you hold onto the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning." Someone was taking them, Alex decided. But who? And for what purpose? She couldn't understand why someone would be interested in people from Hooverville. You only went to Hooverville when you had nowhere else you could go. They were at the bottom of the economical food chain – so to speak.

"Have you been to the police?" Martha asked. Alex sighed. She knew that Martha was trying to help, trying to make suggestions. However, she also knew that the police were... different, she'll say, than the police they were use to.

"Yeah, we tried that." Solomon voiced her thoughts. "Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal." Sad, Alex thought. Unfortunately, it was the truth. The police couldn't be concerned with people that were a part of Hooverville. There were so many, that it was probably impossible to keep track of them all. If one went missing, they couldn't do anything. Not to mention, she was sure that the police themselves were struggling to keep from sinking by this Great Depression anyways.

"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?"

Alex was so giddy. "I _just _was thinking about that!" She tapped the Doctor's shoulder. "We're on the same brain length." She paused to properly let that sink in. "Dude, I'm on the same brain length as you." She was so mystified by that. "That is _so _awesome, on my part."

The Doctor patted her shoulder, "I'm proud of you, Allie." His tone was mocking and she threw him a look.

A boy poked his head in before she could respond. He was around the same age as her, and was rather cute. He had sandy blood hair and pretty blue eyes. _Hold on a moment_... Alex's eyebrows raised slightly – a controlled reaction compared to her fangirl moment she was having on the inside. _That's Andrew Garfield_! _That's Spiderman_!

Her memory was _so weird_ like that, she had to admit. There was plenty of stuff that she couldn't remember for the life of her. Okay, _most _things she couldn't remember for the life of her. However, there were a few things that always seemed to filter through. Usually it was things that had to do with television shows and her fandoms; history; or just weird stuff like the name of the metal or plastic thing that was at the end of shoelaces – aglets! "Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here."

Alex felt Solomon wasn't looking forward to this Mr. Diagoras fellow, and she had to ask. "Oooh, so who's he?"

"A man." The tone that Solomon gave made it clear he wanted to add a lot more than just that. "Come on and follow me, and you'll see for yourselves." They all gathered up together as Mr. Diagoras stood on a little stool. He had a lot of black, but there was something about him that Alex didn't like. It wasn't his clothes, she knew that, it was just... Something about _him _– about the emotions he was creating – that left her stomach clenching.

"I need men." Mr. Diagoras was explaining. "Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."

"Yeah." That cutie little not-Andrew spoke up. "What is the money?" Alex felt a little bad that she was referring to him like that. She couldn't help it, she needed something to call him – at least until she found out his name. She tried to make a mental note to ask.

"A dollar a day." Even in 1929, she _knew _that was a horribly small amount of money. The men grumbled, backing up Alex's thoughts.

"What's the work?" Solomon asked.

"A little trip down to the sewers." Mr. Diagaros said.

"Ew, that's disgusting." Alex said, scrunching up her nose. "Who'd want to go down _there_? It's got to be all icky and stuff down there... That'd and I'd _definitely _trip." There was no way around it with _her _luck.

"Allie hush!"

"Don't hush me!" She snapped. "_You _hush!" He clasped his hand over her mouth, and she threw a nasty look at him.

Mr. Diagoras continued. "Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

"A dollar a day?" She could feel that Solomon wasn't going to bite. "That's slave wage." She heard a few grumbles of agreement from the men around her, and she would have _loved _to agree _if she could use her mouth, Doctor_. "Men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accident happens." Mr. Diagoras brushed aside. She felt he didn't really care what happened down there, even if it meant they didn't come back up at the end of the day.

"What do you mean? What sort of accidents?" The Doctor spoke up.

He refused to answer. "You don't need the work? That's fine. Anyone else?" The Doctor raised his hand, and he seemed done, "Enough with the questions."

"Oh, n-n-no. I'm volunteering." Alex's hand shot up with his. Her police was simple – wherever the Doctor went, she follows. She felt that was the safest. No matter where she was.

Martha lifted up her hand, but she was looking at the Doctor. "I'll kill you for this." The Doctor just sort of giggled and Alex did as well. She saw that the little cutie raised his hand, and she was surprised that Solomon did too.

At least they wouldn't be alone, that was nice.

-x-

They were down in the sewers. They all had a flashlight and some rope for the breakdown. Alex had found that the cutie's name had been Frank. He was just _adorable_, she found out as they walked to the opening. Truly, just the cutest thing ever. She just wanted to eat him up with a spoon – he blushed brightly when she had said that. The Doctor had cut her off from continuing, and she had teased him that he was _jealous_. She _wishes_, but she knew that would never be true.

"Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it." She was looking out in the direction that she was getting a bad feeling. She was, she knew it. It was impossible to miss. Somehow she just _knew _it was her gut telling her something was very wrong.

"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank asked. Her gut told her that the dollar was not the important thing right now.

"When you come back up."

The Doctor brought up a good point, "and if we don't come back up?" Yeah, Alex thought, that would be a pretty bad thing.

"Then I got no one to pay." He clearly didn't care. She didn't like it, but of course he'd say that. When the Great Depression was going on, they'd want to hold onto every dollar they had. Still, Alex was a bit huffy, _I'd think you care just a little bit_. Apparently not him.

"We'll be back." Solomon promised, and Alex at least liked his assurance.

Of course, not that Martha helped. "Let's hope so."

"Martha!" She snapped in a sort of whisper. "Don't say that! I've already got chills going through me, alright? The least you could do is be like Solomon and be reassuring. This place is just _creepy_!"

"We just got to stick together." Frank agreed. "It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here."

"Not helping!" Alex threw her arms up. "Doctor! Martha and Frank are scaring me, and I don't like it!" Her tone took on a child's whine but she ignored it. She stopped when she saw he wasn't right behind her like she had thought. "Doctor?"

"Right here," He popped his head up and smiled, waving his fingers. She opened her mouth to repeat, but he cut her off. "Yes, yes, I know Martha and Frank have scared you." She thought for a second he was teasing until he grasped her hand, and she realized he was being comforting. "It's fine, Allie. Don't you trust me at all?"

"Of course I do!" She became offended that he'd even tease her about that.

"Then trust me now. I would never let something like that happen." Okay well, that _did _make her feel better – even with Martha's and Frank's words still in her mind.

"Yeah, well…" She didn't have a good retort for it. "_Fine_." Oh good Lord, even she knew she sounded like petulant child. The Doctor just smiled a bit more, clearly teasing her in his head. She stuck her tongue out at him. However, he gave her hand a squeeze. She knew he was telling her – in all honesty – to trust him. He would take good care of her.

As if she could doubt he wouldn't.

They ended up going three by two. Martha and Frank were talking amongst each other in the back, and Solomon, Alex, and the Doctor took up the front. They made sure they took care to look around the area to see if they could spot the tunnel collapse. The Doctor spoke up as they did, "So this Diagaros bloke, who is he then?"

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running Manhattan." Alex couldn't say she was surprised. She remembered when she was reading about the Great Depression, that there _had _been a few people who had seen the drop coming and actually turned it around to make a profit out of it. It wasn't _many _people – just a few – but clearly Mr. Diagaros was one of them.

"How did he manage that, then?" Alex raised her hand. He sighed, before smiling and patting her head – and she was reminded of a small child and threw him a look. "Let's let Solomon explain this, alright Allie?"

"Fine." She lowered her hand. "You just don't like the fact that I know something as much as you do." She sang her words and the Doctor rolled his eyes. She was teasing him, but she knew that there was a seed of truth in it. He liked to believe that he knew _everything_, and that he was the only one who did. Well, not this time – not when it was her country's history they were talking about. "How do you think he did it, Solomon?"

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight." See, he didn't understand. Alex _certainly _wasn't saying he was stupid or anything – truly, that's not what she meant at all. It was why only a _few _people profited from the Great Depression. Even she didn't understand exactly how they turned it around, all she knows is that they did. "It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round."

"Whoa!"

"What?" Alex saw him look down at something, and she turned to look down herself. "_Whoa_!" She repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. It was a green sort of blob – yes for now that was what she referred to it as, considering she didn't know what else to call it – on the ground in front of them. It was _glowing_ and Alex worried if it was contaminated or something. "What is _that_?"

"Is it radioactive or something?" Martha asked as she came forward, peeking through the Doctor's and Alex's arms. The Time Lord set himself down in a crouch to examine the specimen. He slipped on his sexy glassy and Alex had to stop herself from swooning. She crouched down as well. "It's gone off whatever it is." Martha held her hand over her mouth.

"Amateur." Alex teased. Martha threw her a look and she giggled.

"And why are you disgusted by the smell?"

"Dogs and cats, Martha." She replied simply. She shrugged. "I've learned to breathe through my mouth – instead of my nose. You should try it, it really helps." She cut herself off when _the Doctor picked up the slim_. "Ew, Doctor!" He looked up at her for second. "That's disgusting! Look, it's got all sorts of goo on it! Why are you picking it up?"

"I need a get a better look, _Allie_." His tone was a bit cross and she rolled her eyes, not even the slightest bit bothered by it.

"You're not going anywhere _near _me until you wash your hands _thoroughly_."

"Yes _mum_." She pursued her lips and threw him a look. It didn't take long for both of them to break and start giggling at each other.

"Shine your torch through it." There was a pause, and Alex didn't even realize he had originally been talking to her. She didn't know what he was referring to – a _torch_, Doctor, is a long wooden stick that has a fire at the end of it. Since Alex didn't move, Martha came in with her _flashlight_ and did as he said. "Composite organic matter." She didn't understand a word of that. "Martha? Medical opinion?"

"It's not human. I know that."

Alex raised her hand. "I know that too, but I'm just a fake." They gave her questioning looks. She shrugged – just a _tad _bit sheepish. "I just watch enough crime show dramas and such to know what a human brain looks like."

"They should that on American shows?" Martha could not be more horrified.

Alex just blinked. She didn't see her problem. "Uh, yeah." She made it sound as if it should have been obvious. "When they're doing the autopsies. If the guy got a bullet to the head or something, they might show it." She decided to stop when her friend started looking green. She moved onto a different subject as the three of them stood up. "Doctor, may I point something out? Something that's been bothering me?"

"You may." He seemed equal part impressed and surprised that she put that so politely.

She ignored it in favor of speaking her thoughts. "Mr. Diagaros had said that the tunnel collapse shouldn't be too far, yeah?"

"About a half a mile." He supplied and she gave him a clear look. _As if I can remember that specifically_. "True, go on."

"_So_…" She put her arms around and spun around in a circle, bringing their attention to the surrounding area. "Look around, these walls are in surprisingly good condition. I don't even see a proper crack in any of them, let alone anything to indicate that there's a collapse anywhere."

The Doctor looked at her, and he grinned. It made her so stupidly giddy. "Brilliant Allie, just brilliant."

She couldn't help but feed off of his praise. "_So_," she continued on. "The million dollar question all of us must ask ourselves… Is _why _would Mr. Diagaros send us all down here if it wasn't to fix the tunnels?" The realization came to everyone's faces.

"So where are we now?" Martha asked. "What's above us?"

"Well…" The Doctor drew out his syllable in that way that _only _Ten ever did. Alex bit her lip, so happy to hear _him _say it. "We're right underneath Manhattan."

-x-

Everyone decided it had been a good idea to get a better look around and see for sure if there was no collapse. They came back together and Solomon tied up all of their conclusions. "We're way beyond half a mile. There's no collapse, nothing." The sewers, Alex noticed, were surprisingly well kept. There wasn't anything to even indicate that Mr. Diagaros was mistaken.

"That Diagaros bloke, was he lying?"

Alex bit back a sarcastic remark, deciding that it wasn't the best of times. "I should have _known_." She murmured to herself.

"Should have known what, Allie?" Holy shit, he _heard _that? She was talking to herself and looked over at him surprised. Dude, did he have like super-duper alien hearing or something?

"Oh, just…" She shrugged. "Gut feeling. You always trust your gut. I should have realized this. Whenever you have a gut feeling, you _always _go with it – always trust it. It's never wrong, Doctor. Seriously." She should have known that by now with Gibbs…

"Why didn't you tell me this?" She blinked, and her words were on her face – _I didn't think it was important_. "Allie, I promised you that if you ever had a 'bad feeling' I'd listen."

"When did you do that?" She sounded genuinely confused. She didn't remember that.

"Back with Shakespeare." His tone was surprisingly patient, but she could still sense just the slightest bit a mocking. However, she remembered it – it took her longer than it should have, but at least she actually did remember.

"I didn't think you were serious." She told him truthfully. "Like, I don't know, people do it all the time… They say things – I'll promise to do this or that, but they never mean it." The Doctor seemed a bit offensive. She could see the look on his face, he did mean it she could tell. "_I_ promise to remember to tell you whenever I have a bad feeling…" It was the one thing that she was determined to remember.

The Doctor was satisfied with that answer and turned to Solomon to speak to him. "Solomon, I think it's time you took these three back. I'll be much quicker on my own."

Alex didn't even pay attention to the number he gave. "Sweet, where should we go first, Doctor?" She was one hundred percent serious. She looked around and then gestured towards the far tunnel. "I don't think we've been down that one. Could be wrong though…" When she looked back at him, he was staring at her. "What?"

"I said three, Allie. I included you."

"Three what?"

He blinked and looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "I suggested that Solomon take you with Martha and Frank."

She became confused. "Why would you do that?" He gave her a look, _why would you want to stay with me_? "It's safer by your side, I reckon. It's my philosophy in these kinds of situations. Wherever the Doctor goes, I follow." It was simple and even _she _could remember it. "Not to mention, you can't be on your own. Then you'd get lonely – then what would happen?" His face became so surprised – as if he never even considered it. "See, you didn't even think of it. That's why you can't be by yourself, then you'd get lonely. If I stay with you, then you won't get lonely." It was the simplest thing she ever had to explain, and she was partially amazed the Doctor hadn't thought of this before.

The Doctor opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off when squealing echoed through the tunnels. They all turned different directions, trying to figure out where it was coming from. "What the hell was that?" Solomon asked.

"Hello?!"

Martha shushed Frank almost exactly at the same time Solomon gave a commanding, "Frank."

He defended himself. "What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared, half mad here on your own." See, now that's what Alex liked to hear. Optimism, the folks here are still alive. She liked that – she liked optimism.

"Do you think they're still alive?" The Doctor asked, and Alex could sense a bit of pessimism in his voice. Well, _phooey _to him!

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here." Alex tried her absolute best not to cringe at the improper grammar – it was the writer in her. 'Ain't' is not a word, and it's not 'seen no bodies', it's 'seen _any _bodies'. She tried to ignore it, and refused to say anything. She didn't want to be one of _those _people. "Maybe they just got lost."

More squealing entered her lungs, and Alex _swore _it sounded more like a pig than a man. Unless she was mistaken and there were people out there who actually could sound like that – properly. Solomon voiced her thoughts, "I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that."

"Sounds like there's more of them." She knew there were a lot. She could tell since more than one squeal could be heard. However, she was having trouble telling if it's the same group or a different one. Was there even a way to tell? Alex pondered that. There has to be. It has to be like people's voices – everyone has a different pitch and tone. It _had _to be the same thing with pigs…

She felt the Doctor walk a little ahead of them, down one of the tunnels. "This way." Solomon disagreed and said that it was down a different tunnel.

"Um… Doctor…" Alex's voice was hesitant. She had just been scanning the area with her flashlight when it caught a figure. "I… Um. I found something…" She couldn't see it very well, even with her flashlight. But there was _something _about it… It wasn't that it gave her a bad feeling or anything, but there was just something…

The Doctor came back to her side, and she felt him brush against her arm. "Who are you?" Solomon called out to the person. He didn't respond. Alex felt her heart tug, was he sick or something? Maybe he physically couldn't speak…

"Are you lost?" Precious little Frank asked. Oh, how adorable, she cooed in her head. "Can you understand me? I've been thinking about folk lost…"

He started to walk forward, and Alex nudged the Doctor. She gave him a look when he turned to her. If anyone could properly do this, then it was the Doctor. Not to mention, she wasn't about to let Frank get in any danger. The Doctor went through danger every day as part of his life – he should do it.

The Doctor got her message, and held a hand out to stop him. "It's alright, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." He started to walk forward to the creature.

Alex couldn't hold back her words, even if she tried, "be careful, Doctor." She said it softly, but with his luck it would be a trap or… something equal dangerous.

"I promise I will, Allie." He turned to look at her briefly. "Just…" He waved her back, and she realized then that she had been taking small steps forwards. "Just stay back. Let me handle this." She backtracked until she was with the other humans, and she saw that it satisfied him. He then turned back to the figure. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own." See _exactly_, no one wants to be on their own, especially when it's a creepy set of tunnels like this! _That _was what she had been thinking. "We know a way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us?"

The Doctor was close enough that he was able to squat down in front. He shinned his light on the figure's face, and they were all able to see it now. "Is that…" Alex wasn't sure if she should be surprised – with all she's seen with _Doctor Who_…

Solomon spoke up before she could finish. "Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" He seemed to want to laugh it off.

Alex knew it wasn't, though. It was way too well done. "No, it's real." The Doctor confirmed. He turned back towards the pig man. "I'm sorry." _Just like always_, Alex thought softly in her head. He was always so sincere and meaningful whenever he apologized. "Now listen to me. I promise I can help." Of course you can, Doctor. Alex thought without a doubt in the world. If anyone could, it would be you. She knew that for sure. "Now, who did this to you?"

"Um… Doctor…" He turned towards Alex, but she wasn't looking at him. She was following the shadows on the walls. "Since I promised you this and all, I think you should get back here – 'cause those shadows there… I'm getting a really nasty feeling about them." She saw out of the corner of her eye him turn towards her eyes. She jumped suddenly when she looked back at the end of the tunnel and more pig men appeared. She wanted to open her mouth, to question if they were nice and docile like the one, but she could feel her gut telling her _not so much_ – maybe it was the nasty looks on their faces. It might also have been the vicious spike of danger in the air.

That, or Alex was getting it confused with the sudden spike of fear that radiated from the humans behind her. "Actually…" The Doctor was saying, as he stood to back up. "Good point." However, they simply just followed him. With each step he took, they took two or three.

"They're following you." Martha said with some desperation. Alex winced a bit at the emotion spike. She could feel herself start to tense and panic. Adrenaline was bursting through her veins and she wasn't sure what to do. She never really experienced like this before.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks." He was sarcastic and even then Alex had to commend him. Alex felt something tangle in her fingers, and she realized that she had reached out and grabbed the Doctor's jacket the moment he was in reach. She squeezed, feeling comfort from the worn material. "Well then, Allie, Martha, Frank, Solomon…"

"What do we do, Doctor?" Alex asked, tugging on his jacket again.

"Um, basically… run!" In an instant everyone was racing down the tunnels with the pig men right behind them. Alex's breath sky rocketed and she gasped.

"_Gah_!" Alex tripped on basically nothing except probably her own two feet – _and seriously? Now? We're going to do this now? I don't have time to trip!_ She bit her lip when her – _just newly healed hand _– landed in a way that really a hand should not be able to turn in. She felt pain shoot up her arm as the skin of her forearm skidded against the rough and wet cement. "Ow!"

"Allie!" She felt the Doctor's hands help her up when she sort of scrambled. "Now is now the time to be clumsy!"

"It's not like I mean too!" She huffed. "Fate just hates me!"

"No one can hate _you_, Allie!" She looked up at him startled, and she only saw the side of his face – he was doing an obvious job of _not _looking at her. She felt his emotions – could practically hear his thoughts. He didn't like that he said that, it might have given too much away. She decided not to bring it up… _now_. They rushed towards the front of the group where Martha had stalled. "This way!" He turned right, and Alex just sort of went with him – his arms were wrapped around her shoulders, clearly to keep her from falling again.

Alex suddenly screeched to a halt, and Martha pretty much rammed into her. They both grunted, but she ignored her friend and took off towards the sight she saw – a little ways behind them. "Alex!" Martha clearly was annoyed she stopped so suddenly. She heard the Doctor's nickname for her underneath, and knew he was mad that she had stopped and then _started going the opposite direction_.

"Ladder!" She called, a statement when she was sure she had seen it. She took off towards it. She heard the others behind her as she sped up towards the manhole. However, she couldn't open it, and almost decommissioned her shoulder while she was at it when she took a hit to it. "I can't get it open!" She felt a sudden heat _surround _her and she froze. Every muscle locked in place and she slowly looked to see that the Doctor had positioned himself on the same rung where she was. He then leaned towards the manhole cover to use his screwdriver.

She could smell his cinnamon scent and it just completely engulfed her senses. Her mind was completely overrun with it, and she didn't know how to properly handle it. Her throat closed up, and she was just amazed. He was so _warm_, better than anything she could get electronically she knew that. He was solid too. It was something that she knew of, but hadn't really paid that much attention to. Until now, where his solid form consumed her whole back. His breath was right above her head, and she couldn't make herself look up at his eyes. She just continued to stare at his neck and shoulder. He was lean, so stupidly lean. Part of her brain demanded that she take him to get more cheeseburgers in his stomach. This poor man needed _meat _– clearly, his mother had not feed him enough porridge when he was younger.

"Allie!" She suddenly came out of her thoughts and looked up at him confused. "Up!" He pushed against her shoulders, and she was moving without any thought put into it. Once she was out in the room, she took off to get far enough away from the Doctor. Her cheeks were warm, and she was cursing them right now. She tried to cover up her face, but she hissed when she moved her wrist.

Martha came up next. She didn't want to look at her friend right now. She refused – she told herself. She _refused _to be Martha. She refused to even _consider _falling in love with a guy that is already in love with someone. No, she just wouldn't do it. It would mean _way _too much pain in the end for her, and she refused. She didn't _want _any more pain. She was massaging her wrist, and could feel a faint sign of tears come to her. She wanted to be happy in a relationship with a guy that loved her. The Doctor loved Rose – and she would never even think of trying to get between that – so that automatically meant that she could only be friends with the Doctor. _Just _friends, she told herself stubbornly. Enough of this stupid lovey dovey, my-heart-goes-aflutter kind of nonsense.

"Alright then. Put 'em up."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding…" She snapped and whirled around to face the new woman. "Does it _look _like I can put my hands up?" She held out her wrist – which was bent limply – with an irritated look on her face. To be fair, most of her irritation wasn't even directed towards the new addition – no, it was really just to herself and that stupid Time Lord with his warmth, and solidness, and addicting cinnamon scent.

She cocked the gun anyways, and Alex winced. She looked back up towards her face and realized she wasn't looking at the American. "Hands in the air and no funny business." She turned to see Solomon and the Doctor slowly put their hands up. "Now tell me, you schmucks," _schmucks_? What the hell is a schmuck? "What've you done with Lazlo?"

_Wait… What_? Martha had similar thoughts, "Um, who's Lazlo?"

-x-

The woman took them back to her dressing room, gun pointed at them the whole time. The Doctor was able to make her back off for a few minutes just to get a proper look at Alex's wound. She hissed when he prodded it, and she tried to pull away. "Allie, stop moving your arm. You'll make it worse."

"Why do doctors feel the need to poke at it?" She grumbled in response. "It's stupid. It hurts, we've established that. You know what poking is going to do? Make it worse."

"We need to know where the pain is worst, Allie." His tone was too sharp, and she looked up at him hurt.

He closed his eyes, instantly recognizing her emotion. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. When you fell, they were way too close for comfort." Alex realized what he was saying. The pig men had gained too much ground when she fell, and they had probably been right on top of her. The Doctor hadn't liked that – that had been too close for her.

She looked down, not really sure what to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trip." She meant every word. She hadn't meant to fall. She wasn't even really sure _why _she fell.

He sighed, "I know, Allie." She felt something warm brush against her forehead, and she couldn't stop herself from squeezing her eyes shut. Those were his lips – she just _knew _it. It was exactly like back on the moon.

Then, she felt something soft brush against her arm and opened her eyes to see the Doctor had pulled out a handkerchief. She was confused. "Where did you get that?"

"My coat." He made it sound as if there was nowhere else it could have come from.

She looked at it for a moment longer and then turned to look up at him. "Is there something you _don't _have in your coat?"

"Food." The Doctor started to think. "I really should fix that."

"You should." Alex agreed. "Snacks are a good motivator." He just smiled at her and she giggled.

"Alright, alright," the mysterious young woman finally spoke up. "Let's keep moving." The Doctor wrapped his arm around Alex's shoulders to protect her from the gun. Alex kept pressure on her wound and couldn't help but wince in the pain. Stupid clumsy luck, why was _she _always the one getting injured?

The woman led them to a dressing room. She sat in a chair in front of the mirror, and waved the gun around at the four of them. The Doctor did as he did with the Carrionite to make sure that she wasn't in the line of fire. Alex wasn't so sure that was a good idea… She loved Eleven as much as the next girl, but she wasn't ready to see Ten off yet. "So…" Alex held out the word for more than a couple of syllables. She was sure it was becoming she was slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation – but she can't help but be curious. "Who's Lazlo?"

"Lazlo's my boyfriend." She explained. "Or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no good bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid." Alex kept letting out small sharp sounds, as if she wanted to speak. To you know, tell her _you're waving around a loaded gun, remember_? Seriously, and people honestly mock _her _about having a forgetful memory. "I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mom before he vamooses?" There was another word that just sounded _stupid _to Alex… _Vamoose_. She kept using it around in her head, and it sounded so strange. That was the late 1920s for you.

The Doctor finally spoke up, "It might, might just help if you put that down." Yeah, Alex thought, before someone gets hurt. That would be extra specially bad.

"Huh?" She just then realized she had the weapon in her hands. Alex tugged hard on the Doctor's jacket and gave him a look when he turned. _He can't mock her anymore about her bad memory_. The Doctor rolled his eyes, and she narrowed her eyes when she saw – and felt – that he was never going to do that. "Oh, sure." There was a small jump when she just _tossed _the weapon onto a chair.

"Good lord, woman!" She couldn't help but burst out. "Are you trying to kill one of us?"

"Oh, c'mon." She was laughing at them. "It's not real. It's just a prop." Oh… Well then. Alex took a deep breath as she relaxed. Well, that did make her feel better. It was an impressive prop, she did have to give credit to the Prop Master for picking such an authentic item. "It was either that or a spear."

Alex would have _liked _the spear, but she supposed it was a moot point. "What do you think happen to Lazlo?" Martha asked, peeking a look over Alex's shoulder. It wasn't hard, even _Martha _was taller than Alex.

"I wish I knew. On minute he's there, the next, zip – vanished." Alex thought about it and then started tugging on the Doctor's jacket – this time much more gently. She wondered if it had anything to do with those pig guys they ran into down in the tunnels. The Doctor turned to look at her for a second, and she saw he was thinking something along the same lines.

"Listen, ah – what was your name?" The Doctor stepped forward.

"Tallulah." She replied. Oh, Alex thought, that's a pretty name. He repeated her name, but she cut him off for a moment. "Three Ls and an H."

"Right." Alex tried not to laugh. She could feel from his tone that he really didn't care about that. "Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people missing every night." So, she and the Doctor were on the same thought. Somehow Lazlo's disappearance could be connected to the Hooverville disappearances.

"And there are creatures. Such creatures." Solomon muttered, almost to himself. She could feel the disbelief he was experience and couldn't blame him. If you're not prepared for it, it can really throw you for a ride.

Tallulah looked at all of them strangely, before leaning over to speak to Solomon, "Whaddaya mean 'creatures'?" Alex wasn't so sure she wanted to know.

"Look." The Doctor brought the attention back to him. "Listen, just trust me." How could anyone _not _trust you? Alex thought. "Everyone is in danger." Common place for being with the Doctor. Alex didn't doubt for a second he'd be able to get them all out, though. "I need to find out exactly what this is," He pulled out the disgusting blob that he had found earlier in the sewers and Alex was revolted. He _put that _into his coat pocket? Alex tried not to make a repulsed face. "because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

Tallulah leaned away from the blob – an appropriate reaction, Alex believe. "Yech."

-x-

The Doctor had insisted that first, before he did anything else, he was to look at her arm. She resisted, naturally, and told him that Martha was just as capable as he was. He refused to budge and told Martha what to look for with Solomon as he did so. As he dragged her away to the bathroom, she asked him why he was so insistent. He replied that _he _want to get a good look at it. She knew that was bullshit answer, since it didn't really explain _why _he wanted to look.

She knew she would be fighting a losing battle, so she just went along with him and let him take a look at her arm. "Ow!" She hissed when he put on some ointment on it. It stung! "That hurt!"

"That's a good thing, Allie." He had a tight hold on her arm, and had his sexy glasses on. "It means that the disinfectant is working." She mocked him for a moment, _disinfectant is working_. As if. "Stop it," he murmured to her, looking up at her for a second to shot her a glare.

She didn't back down. "You didn't answer my question, Doctor. _Why _are you so insistent at looking at it?"

As he wrapped the bandages up, he finally looked at her proper. She winced just once when he had to tighten the bandages, but other than refused to look away. It was hard, she had to admit. Looking into those soulfully sad brown made her feel a little lightheaded. "I don't know what you mean." Oh, what a _liar_.

"You know exactly what I mean." Alex threw back. "I don't know why you don't want to tell me."

"Because you shouldn't have gotten hurt." The Doctor finally admitted it, almost yelling it out. Alex felt a rush of his irritation run across her skin, leaving behind that itching feeling. She couldn't help but flinch back from it. The Doctor noticed it, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt, Allie. I was right there, and you still got hurt."

She suddenly realized what he was saying. "But…" She knew what he was saying, but she couldn't understand it. "Doctor, I got hurt because of _me_. Not because of anything _you _did. I got hurt because I'm just a klutz." To be fair, she _did _tell him that almost right away. "Big deal, I got hurt. It wasn't like the pig men got me or anything. It's nothing."

The look he gave her made her feel as if what she had just said was the _stupidest _thing she had ever said. He opened his mouth, and Alex raised her eyebrows waiting for it. However, he closed it and shook his head, letting out a big sigh. He then looked back down to her arm. Well… Okay. Alex wasn't sure what was going through his head. "Did you mean it?"

She looked over to him, "Of course I did. Doctor, I've been clumsy –"

He cut her off. "No, no, Allie that's not what I'm talking about." Oh, well then what? He elaborated on her confused look. "Down in the tunnels, you said that you wanted to stay with me because I would get… lonely." He still looked like he wasn't sure what to do with that. "Did you mean that?"

"Of course." She said it without any hesitation. She felt a bit uncomfortable under his stare – the dude doesn't _blink_. She started to ramble. "Like, of course I do. No one does well when they're lonely. We always want to be around people. Hell, it's _good _for us to be around people. I know from experience, Doctor. Trust, do _I _know. All of the stupidest things that I have ever done – and will ever do – was when I was at my loneliest. I don't want you to go through that. That would be horrible. No one would want to be alone. So, naturally, if I'm with you. Then you won't be alone. Then you'll be happy." Truly, more than anything in the world, she wanted him to be _happy_. "So you're _stuck _with me, Mister." She waved his finger at him, still feeling nervous _because he wouldn't stop staring at her_. At least blink, dude! She thought. "Even if I have to like… glue my hip to yours – oh! Better yet, I'll _duct tape _myself to you!" She grinned at him, so proud of coming up with that.

He finally blinked, and turned back to her wound. He patted her arm gently – thankfully, it was still a bit sore. "All done." They both stood up, and the Doctor looked back at her. She could feel it, but she didn't want to see it because it made her nervous. She kept her eyes strictly on her arm, but she could feel a _hole _being drilled into her head with his staring. Stupid, intense hawk-like Time Lord stare… "Allie?"

Oh bow, with the way he said her name. She just couldn't resist. She slowly trailed her eyes up his wonderfully suited, skinny self up to his eyes. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Thank you." He said it with as much sincerity as if he was saying 'I'm sorry'. She couldn't help but smile, even if she didn't know why he was thanking her.

"What for?"

He just laughed a bit. She felt his wonderment and couldn't figure out what for. "For being… _you_." Well, that didn't really clear anything up… She shrugged mentally. Something she'd never understand about that man, she'd suppose.

"Well," She wasn't sure what to say. "You're welcome." They were both walking towards the door, when her foot caught onto some carpet. "Holy –!"

The Doctor was quick – thankfully, he had been in front of her. He whirled around just in time to catch her. "Allie…" She didn't recognize his tone and snapped her head up to apologize. The words were gone the moment her head came up. They were right there. His eyes were the closest she had ever seen. She couldn't believe the _depth_ of such a color. It felt like it just went on forever, and if she stared too long it would just swallow her up.

She then noticed his lips. They were just a couple of inches away, so close that she could feel his warm breath wash across her face. For a moment, everything went still. She didn't even know if she was still breathing. For every second her heart took a beat, she stood there, with her hands on the Doctor's chest, looking up at the Doctor's face. Her head was spinning around and around, and finally her heart skipped _more _than one beat.

Her eyes were slowly closing, just the slightest bit, and every other blink would cause her eyelids to drop just a fraction more. They were moving closer, she realized distantly. Just a tiny bit closer, until she could feel the Doctor's nose brush across her own nose in a feather light – barely even there – touch.

That was when her mind snapped back on. She let out a noise and threw herself back away from the Doctor. She flailed around but magically was able to keep her balance. The Doctor seemed to snap out of his trance and the two of them just stared at each other. She had her hands press up against her mouth, completely aghast. That… that did _not _just happen… "I… Um…" Alex ran her hands through her hair. Abort, _abort_, her mind was yelling at her. Abandon ship! Save face! _Abort you stupid woman! Now_! "I have to go…!" She didn't even bother to try and give him excuse. She just rushed right out of the door, barreling past Martha – completely ignoring the woman as she asked where the Time Lord was.

She weaved through the halls and the rooms until she ended up in a room, she didn't even know where. She pressed herself against the far wall and slowly slid down onto the floor. "No, no, _no_!" She whispered to herself harshly. "Stupid _stupid_ woman! What the _hell _were you _thinking_? No, of course not, because you _weren't _thinking!" She gripped her head, and vaguely realized she was starting to rock back and forth. She was starting to lose her mind, and she was just barely able to keep herself from having a mental and emotional – mostly emotional – breakdown. "Bad Alex! Bad! No." she hit herself for each word to try and get through to her brain. "Falling. For. The. Doctor. Only. Friends!"

Well ow, now she had a really bad headache. "That's a low cost, though." She mumbled to herself. "Over a broken heart, I'd take a headache _any _day. Because, that's what you'll get isn't it? Yes, that's what you'll get if you fall for the Doctor. You will get a broken heart. Because the Doctor does not like you – well," She reworded that. "It's not that he doesn't _like _you. He likes you – or you wouldn't be here, _duh_." She smacked her head – much lighter this time. "But he doesn't _love _you – yes, that's it. He doesn't _love _you. So…" She pointed to her chest, in the general area of her heart. "_Stop it_! Stop it, heart! I refuse to give into that bullshit of _you can't help who you fall for_." Her voice turned exceptionally mocking, before returning to normal. "No! No! I refuse to let that happen! I can help it! I _will_! Only! Friends!" She threw her head back.

Then she winced from the pain that came from hitting the wall too hard. She rubbed the back of her head but continued to look up at the ceiling. She refused to do it. It will be _normal _around her and the Doctor. She will _not _fall in love with him. She will remain the same. Everything will remain the same. She will not let anything change it. She is _certainly _not about to fall in love with a taken man.

She curled her legs up and closed her eyes.

"Just friends," She muttered on last time. "_Just _friends. Nothing else. Nothing more."

-x-

Alex hadn't even known she had fallen asleep until she heard a scream. Her head snapped up, and it gave one of the loudest cracks she had ever heard. "Ow!" She cringed, but she was already getting up – she knew Martha's scream anywhere. Her bones gave _way _too many cracks and pops and each one hurt _way _too much. "Damn, never sleep against a wall again…" At least, in _that _position…

"Wait, Martha, screaming, priorities!" She rushed out of the room and in the area she believed she heard it. "Martha!" She ran face first into something solid – and weirdly enough, warm. Something equally solid and warm wrapped around her and kept her from falling. She looked up a bit startled, to find the Doctor. She couldn't help but swallow a bit, and she _forced _herself not to blush. "I heard Martha." She spoke immediately. No, no talking to _him _about it. It was already too awkward. She was not about to let it become double awkward.

"I did too." Oh thank _God_, he doesn't want to talk about it as well. See now there is a _good _Time Lord. "Let's go." He took her hand and they were off. Alex liked this, this is what she loved. Good friends, she told herself. Good friends with the Doctor is encouraged. _Best _friends would be even _better_.

They ran into the prop room and Alex called out her friend's name. There was no one around. "Doctor, where could she have gone?"

"Down here." She turned to look and saw that the lid of the tunnels were open. She opened her mouth to ask him, but he already knew. "Yes, that's the same one that we came out from." He grabbed his coat and put it on, he turned towards her. "Are you sure you're good?"

She understood what he was asking. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She ran crossed her arms to run her hands down the sleeves of the sweater. "It's surprisingly very warm."

He took her word for it. "Oh, where are you goin'?" What the…? Alex turned around and just realized that Tallulah had followed them.

"They've taken her." That was the only answer he gave. Wow, what a _shitty _answer. Alex huffed a bit at his manners. Seriously, that's just _rude_.

"Who's taken her?" Tallulah asked. That is a good question, Alex agreed. Seriously, why is it that he always knew things that they didn't? She didn't believe it was fair…

"Oh!" The Doctor was already moving down the steps, and Alex had to pick up the pace to follow him. She could hear Tallulah saying something to them, but she couldn't hear it. She spun around in a circle and then giggled as she turned towards the Time Lord. "Dude," He raised an eyebrow at her use of slang. She ignored it. "It's not even cold down here. It's actually relatively warm." Not that _he _would know, since his blood was made of _lava _or something…

"No, no, no, no, no way." The Doctor was quick to object when Tallulah started her trek down. "You're not coming." She saw him throw a look at her and she had to sigh and roll her eyes. She knew what he was thinking, _It's bad enough she's coming_. Oh please, he is such a baby. Here she is being nice to him – back to the lonely subject, Doctor – and he's acting like _that_.

"Tell me what's going on." Tallulah demanded. Oh yeah, Alex was _totally _on her side – and no, it had nothing to do with the singer being American.

"There's nothing you can do. Go back." You're not going to win, Doctor, Alex thought with a grin. She knew that right off the bad – she could _feel _Tallulah's determination.

"Look, whoever's taken Martha, they could've taken Lazlo, couldn't they?" Ah, love. Alex smiled. When she wasn't dealing with her stupid love problems, it was quite a beautiful thing.

"Tallulah, you're not safe down here." Neither is she, Alex couldn't help but add, but at least he's realized he can't dissuade her.

"Then that's my problem." Yep, Alex knew it. She felt the Doctor giving in. He knew what it was like to be losing a fight on this considering he's never won against Alex yet. "Come on. Which way?" She took off down the tunnel to their left.

The Doctor let out a defeating sigh. She was grinning at him, and he gave her a look. So much mocking between the two of them. She couldn't help but giggle. "This way." The Doctor started to walk down the tunnel in front of them. Alex skipped down the tunnel, right behind the Doctor. She turned just to make sure – oh, good Tallulah was following them.

It was a relatively quiet walk. Alex stopped skipping pretty quickly into the walk knowing that it would kill her feet if she did it for too long. She walked next to the Doctor, shutting any dangerous emotion she could have. She shoved it down into an imaginary box, and pretty much _wrapped _that box in chains. Once she was done, she put a great big lock on them. She knew it was probably taking things a bit too far, but she didn't want any chance of going back into dangerous waters.

She had dipped her toes in it when she almost kissed the Doctor, and she refused to even take another _step _in that direction again. "When you say 'They've taken her', who's they exactly?" Tallulah spoke up. Alex had a friend like Tallulah, and was impressed that she was able to keep quiet for this long – she was thinking this with as much love as possible. "And who are you anyway? I never asked." So, she was asking now? For all Tallulah knew, they could be serial killers or something. They could be taking her down here to kill her…

She decided _not _to say anything. She figured that wouldn't help them out in the long run. They needed her to trust them, not be afraid of them. "Shh."

"Shh?" Alex threw him a nasty look. "What did I tell you about shushing? Don't _shush _me! You shush!"

At the same time, Tallulah spoke up, "Okay. Okay."

The Doctor became more insistent. "Shh, shhh, shhh." He held up a hand, and Alex smacked it. Even then, he didn't look away from the end of the tunnel. Oh great he was shushing them _and _ignoring them at the same time! How _rude_!

"Doctor!" She snapped. "Stop it! I hate it when people shush me! And dammit, if you're going to do it, would it kill you to look at me?" She took a wide turn so that she could get in front of him – force him to look her in the face. "Doctor - mmm!" Her words became garble as the Doctor shot a hand out and smacked it over her face. She struggled, now confused along with angry at his bizarre and frankly _stupid _behavior.

Tallulah was talking again – seriously the two of them were having different conversations with the same man. "I mean you're handsome and all –" The Doctor put another hand over her mouth and then dragged the two of them back into a recess near them.

Alex continued to struggle. What the hell was wrong with him? "_Allie_!" She froze for a second and felt chills run down her spine. The Doctor had pressed his lips to her ear and _hissed _out her nickname. What the hell is _wrong _with him?

She got her answer when she saw a metal object roll across the very tunnel they had just been in. Every muscle in her body locked into its current position. She threw her hands over the Doctor's. She squeezed his fingers and couldn't even get herself to blink. She couldn't take her eyes off of the _Dalek _that was right in front of her. One movement from its eyestalk and it was all over for them. She felt her heart gave a lurch and for a second she felt about ready to puke.

The Doctor was breathing heavily, and it was warming the hair around her ear. The fear and disbelief and anger that was radiating from him was making her head spin. She could feel the tears come to her, and she wasn't even sure what exactly she was crying about. She felt herself be plunged back into a ranging ocean and it was the Doctor's emotions and damn him for having such vast and complicated emotions.

It took an eternity for the Dalek to pass by them. An eternity that was encased with a second. Once the Dalek moved far enough away, the Doctor slowly eased both of the girls out and back into the tunnel. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no." The Doctor was muttering under his breath. Alex felt he was talking more to himself than to them. "They survived. They always survive while I always loose everything." Alex ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep herself from drowning in his emotions. She felt the pain and suffering from his words and she wasn't even sure if what she was feeling was coming from her or from him. She felt the tears slip from her eyes, and it was pretty frustrating because she knew that logically there was no reason for her to be crying. Stupid overemotional sensitive self…

"That metal thing? What was it?" Sweet Tallulah, Alex thought, sweet Tallulah who had no idea what a Dalek meant…

"It's called a Dalek. And it's not just metal, it's alive." Alex tried to keep herself in check, and crossed her arms tightly across her chest. She rubbed her arms as if she was cold.

Tallulah laughed just a bit. "You're kidding me."

That was the wrong response. Alex cringed away from the Doctor when she felt a rush of anger and danger slide across her skin. "Does it look like I'm kidding?" He snapped, and it felt as if she was messing with a raging fire storm.

"_Doctor_," She couldn't let him take his anger on her. Her voice broke and he turned towards her. "Stop it." She protested weakly. She took a subconscious step away from him, trying to keep her head above his sea of emotions. "She didn't know. You can't blame her. She wasn't _there_." She didn't go into detail. She knew that the Doctor would know – and she doubted that he'd want to share that information with Tallulah. "Be nice."

"Allie…" She recoiled when he tried to reach out and touch her. She was a physical person – she knew this, and she knew that if she touched her what he was feeling would be even stronger. She couldn't deal with that if it was like _this _when they weren't touching. "Allie…" She could feel his hurt at her rejection.

"Empathy, Doctor, _empathy_." She couldn't explain it more than that. She looked into his eyes with her watery ones to try and get it across silently.

He understood – she saw the second it came across his eyes. He turned back to Tallulah. "Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

Tallulah couldn't quite wrap her head around that. "But if it's not a human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space." The Doctor gave her another scathing look. Alex felt it run across her skin as if he was looking right at her with it. She gave a hard tug on his sleeve. She felt him reign in the look and she let go of his jacket. "Yet again, that's a 'no' with the kidding. Oy…"

"Doctor," Alex spoke up and her voice was still a bit rough. It was still very much quiet. "It's 1929. I don't know about you, but I don't exactly think that's a great year for us humans – especially American. We're smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression. Why would they choose here out of all the years they could have gone too?" The Doctor and she looked at each other, and she wasn't the only one confused on that.

"That's it." The Doctor whirled around and grabbed onto Tallulah's arm. He started to walk back the way they came. Tallulah was having trouble keeping up with the height difference. Alex called out his name in a scolding tone. Was he ever going to learn to be _nice_? Alex doubted it. "Every second you're down here, you're in danger. I'm taking you back right now." Alex felt a bit elated that he wasn't trying to convince her to go. _That would be the sound of me winning, eh Doctor? Score one for the American_! She gave herself a mental fist pump. The three of them turned a corner and they ran into one of the pig men.

"Ah!" Alex didn't even know what she was doing. She sort of threw herself behind the Doctor. Tallulah let out a scream. The brunette peeked a look out over the Doctor's arm and saw that the pig man had nowhere to go – but he kept his face hidden away from them.

The Doctor refused to be deterred. He stormed over to the pig man, "Where's Martha? What have you done with her? What have you done with Martha?"

"I didn't take her!" The pig man protested.

Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, hold on." Alex raised her hand even though she had already spoken. "I thought the pig men couldn't speak." The last time group they ran into didn't do anything more than squeal like a proper pig.

"Can you remember your name?" The Doctor asked, and she felt that he was just as surprised as she was.

"Don't look at me." Why wouldn't he want them to look? It took Alex a second longer than it should have for her to understand. She felt his shame, and couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. She caught the Doctor's eyes, and mouthed to him, _now, be nice to him, he's trying_. He just gave her a look as if he always did. She rolled her eyes, _most of the time you're rude, admit it_. She knew that he knew she had a point. He looked away from her begrudgingly.

"Do you know where she is?" Tallulah asked as she took a step forward.

"Stay back! Don't look at me!" Alex grasped the other woman's arm in surprise. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go over there…

"What happened to you?" Alex leaned slightly to her left and was surprised when the Doctor's light gave her a proper look. While he still had a pig's nose, tusks, and ears he was surprisingly… _human_. He still had his hair, and even the shape of his face was still more human than pig.

"They made me a monster." She felt her heart strings tug at his pain and wanted to do _something _to help.

"Who did?" The Doctor asked, and she could feel his sympathy for the man. She caught his eye again, _help him. Please_. This time he gave her a much softer look that made her feel silly for even doubting for a second that he wouldn't.

"The masters." Alex leaned her head back and forth. No, she's never heard of these _masters_. Who are they?

The Doctor answered for her. "The Daleks." _Ooooohhhh_, well how very Dalek of them to have everyone call them _master_. She almost rolled her eyes if she figured the Doctor wouldn't like that. "Why?"

"They needed slaves. They needed slaves to steal more people, so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late."

Alex slowly walked over so she was next to the Doctor. The pig man looked towards her and she didn't even know why, but she waved her hand. "Um, hi, I'm Alex." She felt a little stupid for saying that, and moved on. "Do you know where Martha went? She's about yay height." She raised her hand to show she was in the middle – taller than her but shorter than the Doctor. "She's black – black hair, brown eyes…"

"They took her." _They_? She mouthed to the Doctor. He mouthed back, _the other pig men_. Oh, okay. She turned back to the good pig man. "It's my fault. She was following me."

Alex groaned. "Oh Martha, clearly she didn't understand my philosophy. Not to mention, what a _bad _idea. Why didn't she wait for us?" She would have a much better chance if she had waited. Alex sighed, she supposed she couldn't blame her – Martha did have a big and good heart.

Tallulah apparently had her own questions. "Were you in the theatre?" In the theatre? She didn't even know that there had been a pig man sighting there. That was probably where Martha had seen him, Alex reasoned.

"Yes." He said no more than that.

"Why? Why were you there?" Good question, Alex wondered…

"I never wanted you to see me like this." Alex's eyebrows shot up. She felt a sudden wave of tender emotion come from her and that just made her confused. What did Tallulah have to do with seeing him? He was a pig man, but why wouldn't he want Tallulah to see him?

"Why me? What do I gotta do with this? Were you following me? Is that why you were there?" Alex felt her head start to hurt too much. She was thinking about this too hard and her brain was starting to ache. It didn't make any sense, and at least Tallulah didn't understand either. She wouldn't doubt that the Doctor already knew what was going on. One quick peek over to him and she knew that she was right not to doubt. Stupidly smart Time Lord…

"Yes." Alex's head tilted slightly to the side. Well, at least he's being honest about it. It was small, but it counted as something in her books.

"Who are you?" Tallulah asked. Alex felt Tallulah doubt if she wanted to know or not.

"I was lonely." Okay… Alex looked left to right. That's just a _bit _creepy… Tallulah asked him who he was again. "I needed to see you." Okay, now we're getting creepier. She turned to the Doctor, _what if this guy is a serial killer or something_? He just stared at her for a second. _He's not_. She got a bit defensive with that look – it made her feel as if she was stupid. Well fine, but if he turns out to be one he was so in for a big _I told you so_. Tallulah asked who he was one more time. "I'm sorry." He tried to turn away from her.

Alex felt a sort of realization come to Tallulah. "No, wait." She grabbed onto his arm. "Let me look at you." She placed him in the light to get a proper look at him. Alex raised an eyebrow. Oh, did she know the pig man? "Lazlo?" He nodded his head and her voice broke. "My Lazlo? Oh, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry. So sorry."

She raised her hand. "Who's Lazlo?"

"That's her boyfriend, Allie." The Doctor's tone was in a bit of disbelief. "Remember? She mistook us as being his kidnappers." Alex just stared at him. He sighed roughly. "Just… say yes and we'll pretend that you remember."

"Deal." She nodded her head. She then did her part, "Yes, Doctor. I remember."

"Good, Allie." She felt a bit like a dog and she would have commented if he hadn't continued on. "Lazlo, can you show me where they are?"

"They'll kill you." Alex _almost _snorted. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Puh-lease, as if the Daleks could succeed in killing _him_. They've tried it _so many _times that Alex had completely lost faith in any Dalek ensuing the Doctor's death.

"If I don't stop them then, they'll kill everyone." Alex felt as if ice ran down her spine. She felt the grim determination from the Doctor. She knew and understood the truth behind his words. If the Doctor didn't stop them now, then they'd kill every single person in the world. They wouldn't stop until every person in the entire universe was dead. Alex had a bit of trouble swallowing after that thought.

For a second, Alex believe that he was going to back out. However, Lazlo said, "Then follow me." Sweet, awesome, Alex thought, they were going to go save Martha.

"I feel like James Bond music is appropriate." She commented lightly.

"Who's James Bond?" Tallulah asked, looking back at the girl with a strange look on her face. Alex opened her mouth, but she turned towards the Doctor instead when she felt his nudge. He was shaking his head and mouthing, _after their time_. Oh. Whoops.

"No one." Alex sighed. Trying to remember times lines was _hard_. She regretted opening her mouth. "No one at all." At least not _yet_. She wanted to add, but knew the Doctor wouldn't like that.

-x-

They got the tunnel that had all of the human prisoners. There was way more than there should have been, in Alex's opinion. She looked back and forth across the line, and then tugged on the Doctor's harshly. "Martha!" She whispered. The Doctor nodded and shushed her. "_Doctor_!" How many times did she have to tell him about shushing her? He shot her a look and she gave him a face.

"What are they doing?" The Doctor murmured. "What's wrong?"

Alex knew one good way to find out. "Well, only way one to find out." When he turned to look at her confused, she just smiled and walked over to the crowd.

"Allie! _Allie_!" She ignored his snarl – geeze, Doctor, could you be a little less rude? "Get back here!"

"Dude, chill." She whispered back to him before the pig men could notice her just yet. "You want to know what's going on. Stay there, I'll check it out." She saluted him. "I'll report back in a minute, Captain." Even from her distance she could feel that he was _not _amused, and almost sighed. Spoil sport. Seriously, he apparently did not know how to _relax_.

The pig men finally noticed she was there, and she let herself be heard into the group with the other humans. "Alex!" Martha's relief was recognizable even from here.

"Hiya Martha!" She chirped. She then turned to the adorable Frank and did her best not to squeal. She was successful in not making it too loud. "Frank! I'm so glad you're alright!" She had been so heartbroken when she realized that he was gone.

He smiled at her, and it was just _adorable_. "It's good to see you, Alex."

"Alex, how did you get here? Where's the Doctor?" Martha asked at rapid speed. She opened her mouth to answer her good friend when the pig men became exceptionally nervous.

"What're they doing? What's wrong? What's wrong?" Frank demanded. Alex felt her blood turn to ice when a Dalek came rolling out of the front of the tunnel. Her throat closed up, and only now was Alex realizing how bad of an idea this might have been...

"Silence." It demanded. "Silence."

"What the hell is that?" Martha muttered. That would be a Dalek, Martha. Alex thought. A dangerous being from outer space that is the Doctor's arch enemy. They are the _cockroaches _of the universe, and they just never seem to go away. She felt her heart lurch, realizing that the last time the Doctor had seen these, it had been the last time he had seen Rose. Her heart sank into her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was from fear or heartbreak.

She felt the fear spike across her skin and it took her a minute to realize it was from the people. They were terrified, they had never seen something like this Dalek before. They had never experience anything alien and it was terrifying for them. It made her cringe and press against the wall. She was surrounded by the emotion, and it was almost painful. It felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You will form a line. Move!"

She felt a spike of resistance from the people as the pig men moved them into position. "No, no!" Her voice came out high pitched and frightful. She had to clear her throat for a few seconds, and she talked to them calmly just like when she worked with kids. "Just, do what he says, okay? Just obey him. Obey." It _might_ be the only way they had any chance of surviving with this Dalek. Or at the very least, surviving longer than a few minutes.

"The female is wise. Obey!" The Dalek ordered them, and she had to fight herself from closing her eyes. God, she was getting sick from all of the fear surrounding her. She had never dealt with something like this. It took all of her will power not to slide down onto the dirty and disgusting ground and curl into a ball. It was even worse when another Dalek arrived.

She ended up losing track of who was talking to who. They looked identical and her brain was already overloaded with emotions that she lost track. Martha picked up what they were and when she turned fearfully to Alex, she nodded her head. Yes, Martha, they were indeed Daleks. She was telling her friend. They were the ones that the Doctor had talked about. The ones that the Time Lords fought with at the last Time War. They mentioned something about an energy conductor – what the _hell _would they need that for? They also mentioned something like, "dalekanium?" She muttered under her breathe. What was _that_?

One of the Daleks announced, "Then I will extract prisoners for selection." Selection? Alex wondered. Selection of what? What were they selecting, and why did it involve humans? The Dalek turned to the row of humans, and the pigs men pushed an older black man forward. The Dalek raised his plugger arm – Alex _swore_, that is what it looked like. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading Brain Waves." Wow, they can _do _that? She wanted to be impressed, but it was a _Dalek _and felt like it was inappropriate. Not to mention, that made her curious why would they need to read their brain waves? "Low intelligence."

The man spoke up against it, "You callin' me stupid?"

"Silence!" The Dalek snapped. "This one will become a pig slave." The man started to struggle, demanding that he be let go. Alex had to close her eyes as he was dragged away. How awful, she thought in her head. The Dalek moved onto Frank, and her heart hammered in her chest. Please, please, please, don't make him into one of the pig men. She knew it wasn't a great thing to hope for – considering she didn't know what happened on the flip side of things – but it was the only thing she could think to do. "Superior intelligence." Alex let out the breath she didn't even realize she had. He turned to Martha, and repeated the same process to come to the same conclusion. "Superior Intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment." _Final Experiment_? What did that mean?

"You can't just experiment on people!" Martha's emotions crashed into Alex and she had to lean away from her friend. God, it was so difficult to keep herself standing. She felt like the whole world was weighing on her shoulders. Her knees were starting to shake too much. "It's insane! It's inhuman!" Which was completely ridiculous to say, Alex had to admit, considering _they weren't human_. They were Daleks.

The Dalek had the same idea. "We are not human." It turned towards her, and she finally closed her eyes. There was a tense moment where she felt her heart in her mouth – she could pretty much _taste _it. There was too much fear in her, and she was terrified that the Dalek wouldn't find her smart enough. "Superior intelligence." Alex felt herself relax just the slightest bit. Okay, well that was good, she didn't have to worry about that at least.

"Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory." The Dalek commanded and the pig men obeyed. They all guided the prisoners away, and she felt a sudden presence beside her. She didn't even look, she knew those complicated and vast emotions _anywhere_.

"So, you decided to join the party." She needed to joke. She needed to tease, she felt like she would go insane if she didn't. She felt like she'd break apart and revert back into a crying little girl if she didn't. "About time. I thought you'd miss it." She could _feel _the raging burn of the Doctor's glare. Good lord, it was as hot as he was – both in the handsome 'hot' sort of way and in the temperature 'hot' sort of way. She turned to look at him and was confused when she indeed saw his _vicious _glare. "What?" She couldn't help but recoil away from him a bit. This glare was properly frightening, and _come on_ she did not need this right now! She had too much to deal with all the other emotions, she didn't need this too!

Before the Doctor could properly speak, Martha realized he was there. He addressed her first. "Just keep walking."

"I'm so glad to see you." Martha's relief took the edge of the emotions – but not nearly enough.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later. You too, Frank, if you want." Sweet, opening! She had to take it. She didn't just take it – she ran to it with a running _leap_.

"Can I kiss you too?" She forced herself to smile. "'Cause I'd take you up on that offer." His glare was back on her and with full force. Her smile slowly diminished. "Okay, _seriously_, what?"

"What were you _thinking_?" He practically snarled it out at her and she whirled back a bit. "You just _jumped _out, Allie! You jumped out and _let them _take you! That was _stupid_! How could you think of something so careless and stupid!"

That was it. Alex couldn't hold it in anymore. She felt the tears fall from her eyes, she felt her emotions brew over and being to overflow. She couldn't help it. She was doing fine keeping herself in check with dealing with everyone else's emotions, but she couldn't hold it back with the _Doctor _angry at her. Not to mention, she couldn't handle it when he started calling her names and calling her stupid – especially after he had been calling her brilliant up until this point.

She put a hand up to her mouth and turned to look away from the Doctor. It was hard enough taking his words, it was a whole new level of pain if she had to stare at his glare one more second. She felt the Doctor's anger and words dissipate quite quickly. "No. No. Allie..." He clearly wasn't expecting her to cry. "No, Allie, please don't cry."

"Why shouldn't I?" She snapped. "I'm pretty sure that's what _stupid and careless _girls do, don't they? They _cry_!" She felt that at least he had the decency to be at least a little ashamed of his words. However, she wasn't done. "Or, maybe it's because I've been having to deal with everyone else's emotions! And _now _I've got some idiot alien telling me I'm stupid and careless when right now I was really hoping he'd give me some comfort because that was really frightening, and you don't think I _know _that it was stupid? I realized it was stupid, but at that point there was nothing I could do, and it was _really _scary and they're frightening and... and... You called me stupid and careless and, that really hurt... and..." She ended up just losing her words into her sobs.

"No, Allie..." She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders. She pressed her face into his chest. See, this is what she was looking for. This was what she had been expecting. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry, I really did. I had been worried. I was so worried that you'd be found out and that they would do something to you." She felt the genuine truth behind his words, and nodded his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I would never let anything happen to you. I promise." Neither of them realized how much that promise would come to mean to either of them.

"Okay..." She whispered, and gripped his jacket. She was still crying, and she felt herself shaking. "This shaking is bad – just so you know." She had to add.

She felt him smile into her hair. "Thank you for telling me." Although, she realized, that he could have easily tell that from her tears. "You were very brave, Allie."

"I wasn't really." She admitted. "Like I said, I was really terrified. The emotions from the other people didn't help. I felt dizzy." She wasn't even sure why she was telling him this. Their conversation was cut off when they got to the laboratories. The Daleks talked amongst themselves, and Alex caught only a few words. Something about evolution and birth. She didn't know what it meant.

"Evolution?" Oh good, the Doctor didn't understand either. That made her feel better. It wasn't just her being human, they really were being confusing.

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha asked, gesturing with her chin to the black Dalek – the only one with any sort of difference. She titled her head, and was startled by the smoke that was wafting off of him.

"Is he sick or something?" She turned to the Doctor. "Should we do something?"

That tender look was back in his eyes as he looked at her. She pursued her lips, and was a bit annoyed. She thought he was done with looking at her like that way back on the moon... Apparently not. "Ask them." Time Lord say _what_?

"Excuse me?" She wasn't about to do something like that. "Why would I do that? Why would I _willing _walk up to one of them and think for a second that I could _demand _any answers from them? They'd just shoot me on sight!"

"I don't exactly want to get noticed." The Doctor retorted. "Ask them what's going on."

"Were you _not _just talking to me two seconds ago about doing something careless and stupid? 'Cause this seems like it would fall under that category _nicely_." She wasn't going to do it. She was _sure _she was going to get herself killed. She refused to die at such a young age.

"Allie," he was close to gritting his teeth – she could feel it. "Do it."

Oh, he gave such a commanding and irritated tone and that just bothered her. "_Fine_."She threw a look at him. "But if I die, I _will _be coming back and haunting your ass for the rest of your _life_." She did the 'I'm watching you' gesture, but ended up poking herself in her eye. "Ow! Shit!" She threw a palm up to cover her now twitching and aching eye.

"I have no doubt in my mind that even in death, you will not leave me alone." He muttered, and damn right about that! That was the truth! Amen! "Now stop trying to injure yourself. You're not getting out of this."

"_Fine_." She whirled around to go up to the Dalek – she _may _be stomping a bit. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I didn't injury my eye badly or anything. Nah, just poked it. Oh. Thank you for being concerned, Doctor, but I'm okay. I promise." She muttered under her breath. "Dalek!" She got its attention when she was close enough. Her fear was gone, having been replaced by the irritation she had for a certain arrogant and _irritating _Time Lord. "I demand as part of this experiment to be told what is going on. What are you planning on doing with us?" The alien didn't reply right away and that played in on more of her annoyance. "Report!"

"You will bear witness." The Dalek finally answered.

Oh yes, because that clears _everything _up – such sarcasm. "To what?" She did everything she could not to scoff those words out.

"This is a dawn of a new age." Still not making _any sense _here to this human right here.

Her head rolled back a bit as she looked up to the ceiling. Exactly how is she going to get them to answer her in a way that will make sense? "What does that _mean_?"

"We are only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again." Suddenly, Alex was becoming more and more serious. She was getting a bad feeling and that was sobering her anger up _real _quick. She hadn't even realized she was backing up until she felt the Doctor's hand grab her shoulder and pull her back to where she had been. She saw the black Dalek's shell powered down. All of the lights shut off, and it was like he had died. She would have believed it if she hadn't remembered at the last moment that it was just a shell – the real Dalek was inside.

"Doctor," Neither one of them took their eyes off of the sight in front of them. "I'm getting a _really _nasty feeling."

"Allie, _I'm _getting a feeling that your bad feelings will become the best thing I could ever have."

That snapped her out of the moment for a second. "Aw, really?" She turned to smile at the Doctor.

"Allie, focus." Oh right, she was being scared. She turned back towards the black Dalek and found that his shell was opening. It revealed... the weirdest looking guy that she had ever seen. Was he Dalek or human? She couldn't figure it out. She saw that his clothing was distinctly human's. However, his face and head were distinctly Dalek. He had the tentacles and the one eye that they all have. The skin on his hands were similar to his head, and they were almost claw like. Her short amount of joy that she had felt was gone. It was replaced with fear and disbelief and confusion and just a slight bit of wonder.

Alex couldn't put anything into words. She was feeling everyone's emotions all at once, and the room spun around and she had to blink a few times to make her vision behave. "What is that?" Martha asked. She could feel her friend's fear.

"I am a human Dalek." The Dalek's words were slow, as if he was testing and tasting them on his mouth. "I am your future."

Oh boy... Alex thought. They were in trouble now._e'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_**Nothing **_**has been looked over. So, there's probably going to be a lot of errors and stuff...**

**-sigh-**

**But I wanted you to get it as soon as possible, so here it is.**

"These… humans will become like me." Yep, definitely. They are _definitely _in trouble. So much trouble. Not that it was even _fair_, in the first place, Alex had to admit. She didn't _want _to become like him! She was happy the way she was, thank you _very _much!

"Allie, stay here…" The Doctor had leaned down and murmured it into her ear, to make sure that she was the only one that would hear him. She leaned away, both startled by his sudden proximity and away from his warm breath gliding gently across her neck.

"Okay." She really wasn't in any mood to argue. Too many other emotions she had to deal with first. "But what are _you _going to do?" She looked up at him and he just pressed a lip to his mouth, singling her to be quiet. She did at least throw him a look – exactly _how _many discussions are they going to have? – and he just grinned at her before slipping behind some of the machinery next to them.

She figured that she'd tune back into the conversation at hand. She _hoped _he at least had an idea of what he was going to do. While she did agree that the Doctor did flawlessly 'wing it' with his plans, she wasn't exactly comforted by it. She hoped that this _wasn't _one of those times. "Prepare them for hibernation." Hibernation? Like a bear? Alex didn't like the sound of that. Not the sleeping per se, she actually really loved to sleep. Naps were a good thing too, she had to add. No, first off it was still the whole 'not my choice' argument. Secondly, and more importantly, she didn't want to sleep for _that _long. Any time that happened, she'd always feel sluggish and weird afterwards and she hated that feeling.

The pig slaves closed in on the humans and one of them grabbed Alex's arm. "Excuse me!" She smacked his arm roughly. "That is _exceptionally _rude! You can't just grab a person's arm like that! What if you hurt them?" The creature ignored her and well _that _did it. She hated it when people ignored her. "Dude! I am talking! We are having a very serious discussion here about manners! You will look at me when we are talking." She dug her heels into the ground and the pig slave came to a halt. "Now, since clearly you've forgotten your manners when you were changed – we're going to start over." She smacked his hand away from her elbow as she put her other hand onto her hip. She started waving her finger at him, brandishing it to scold him. "Listen here, buddy, you never _ever _just take someone by the arm and start dragging them somewhere. It's rude. Do you remember what rude is? Let me tell you, it is something we people _don't like_!"

She would have continued on with her lesson if a song hadn't started playing. She didn't recognize the song. She may be genre savvy, but music savvy she was _not_. "What is that sound?" Dalek Sec seemed to not understand the music in general – not just the song. She could feel him confused but awed and fascinated as well.

The Doctor decided to make his entrance. He stepped out into view, the radio in his hands. Ah, so he was the culprit. Well, at least he didn't make it too loud. Even thinking about it made her ears ring. He was a bit of a drama queen, wasn't he? _Well_, Alex had to admit to herself, _not nearly as much as Sherlock. But no one is a drama queen like Sherlock is_. Except _maybe _for John in certain situations. "That would be me." He set the radio down, the pretty music still playing. At least he had picked a nice song, Alex had to give him that. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et Cetra." Alex got distracted as she started to list off different words in her head. She felt someone smack her back that she came back into focus and turned to look at Martha confused. The woman mouthed to her, _pay attention_. Oh, right.

She tuned back in just as the three other – proper – Daleks start to put up a fuss with the Doctor being there. Dalek Sec gave the final word, "Wait." They froze in their places, and Alex wondered if they were bound to the word of their superior. That would be nice. Or rather it would be if it wasn't for the fact that all Daleks _should _hate the Doctor. She wondered why Dalek Sec hadn't done anything yet.

"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." He strode forward and Alex felt his fascination as he looked into Dalek Sec's eye properly. However, she could also feel his frustration as well. She knew it was because here the Daleks were _again_. It went back to what he had said earlier, they survive while he loses everything. Her heart broke even with that thought alone. He lost Rose. He lost the most important person in the world to him. It wasn't fair for him that he lost _her_, and the Daleks were allowed to be here. They should be in the Void. "Fascinating and very clever."

"The cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter." Oh, what hypocrites! Alex huffed a bit. So says the people who were killing _everyone _on sight. So says the people who have done that since they came into this world. If anyone should be upset, Alex believed it should be the Doctor. He had a right to be upset. He lost Rose.

"How did you end up in 1930?" The Doctor demanded. He wasn't backing down from the new Dalek form. Alex felt the deep seeded anger skid across her skin. Her skin was left raw after such a wave of emotion came across her. She winced, and felt a sort of faint ache in her muscles. Wow. She's never had _that _kind of reaction before…

"Emergency Temporal Shift."

The Doctor scoffed. "Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" He strode away from the Dalek and looked around. Suddenly, his eyes were on her. He stopped, and they just stared at each other. Alex shoved away any sort of tingling sensation that was going through her nerves. He mouthed to her, _Are you okay_? Well damn, when he asked her that she can't help herself but melt into a little puddle. She smiled at him and nodded her head. She was fine, she wasn't hurt. _Question is_, she mouthed back to him, _are you_? The Doctor's eyes turned to liquid – she swore to God. It was then that she could see everything – she could _feel _everything. He wasn't okay. He was angry, and hurt, and upset. He didn't want to face them, he never wanted to see the Daleks again. Yet, here they were. They were here completely fine – for the most part – where he lost everything.

Alex could _hear _her heart shattering into a million different pieces. She smiled at him, but she knew it was a sad and painful smile. A smile of one broken heart connecting with another. His smile was full of just as much emotion as hers was. He then started talking again, but for a long moment, he kept his eyes to her. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting." She felt his disgust. Even with the space between them, with how powerful he was feeling, she could feel them just as much as if he was right next to her. She had to remind herself to breathe, or she would be swept away by the current of his emotions. Finally, the Doctor broke their eye contact to look back at the newly formed Dalek. "All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form." She felt his emotions too. They were so new to him, she could tell. It was like she was feeling the emotions of a little child. A child who just realized what it was to truly experience life. He was experiencing emotions – and she couldn't even imagine what that would be like. He's lived a long life of no emotions, just purely logical ideas. Now, he's dealing with a whole new set of rules.

"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec." Even though the Doctor hated the Daleks, she could feel his curiosity. He had never come across a Dalek that _felt_. He wanted to know. He had to know – she could feel it. "It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

"I… feel… humanity." She felt him revel in these new emotions. She felt him so amazed and awed by them. She couldn't help but find it a little precious. Not to mention, maybe in the end it would help them. Maybe they could appeal to those emotions – to save everyone.

"Good. That's good." The Doctor replied and maybe he was getting the same idea that she was. Honestly, it was the weirdest thing in the world to her to think that she was on the same thought wave as a Time Lord was. Shouldn't there be laws against it or something? She wasn't _that _smart – no one, in the end, was as smart as the Doctor.

"I… feel…" Yes, good start. You feel, that's good. Alex raised her eyebrows just the slightest bit, her head tilting forward. She waited for what he was going to say. What was he feeling? Could they use it to save everyone? "everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such… genius for war." _Or not_. Alex thought with a depressed sigh. Or he could completely take everything that she _didn't _want him to focus on.

That's it. They were doomed. There apparently was no way around it. "No, that's not what humanity means." Well, yeah Doctor, she would like to believe that as well. There was _so much _more than those emotions. Those were just a part of what humanity was. It made her sad to think that that was all Dalek Sec could focus on.

"I think it does." Then you don't know humanity like you think you do, Alex thought. "At heart, this species is so very… Dalek." That… is a _terrifying _thought, Alex decided. An absolutely terrifying thought that she really did not want to entertain even in the slightest.

"Alright, so what have you achieved then? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing!" The Doctor was adamant about that. She felt his annoyance and anger. He believed in humanity more than anyone else – sometimes even more than other humans. It made her a bit proud, to be a part of a race that the Doctor held so highly. "'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." He pointed to the radio. The Daleks weren't the only ones confused. What was he going to do with a radio? Certainly not fight with it, it was a _radio_. It wasn't even one of the good twenty first century ones either, it was a boring old-fashioned one. Was he high or something? "Simple little radio."

"What is the purpose of that device?" How sad, Alex thought. They can't even enjoy music – because music was completely _emotional_. To someone like a Dalek, it would be completely illogical and stupid for you to have one. It did nothing – from a logical point of view.

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it." Damn, how are they _still _on the same train of thought? It was starting to get a little creepy. Less creepy was when the Doctor looked over to her and made a silly face. She giggled, thinking of how wonderful it would be to dance with the Doctor. She wondered if he was a good dancer… She knew for a _fact _that Elven was _horrible_. "Sing with it." Sometimes well and sometimes bad. She was one of the people who sang with it _badly_. At least she could admit it. "Fall in love with it." He gave her another look, and this one was more soft and sweet and melting. She couldn't help but look away embarrassed. Don't look at me like that, Doctor! She cursed in her head. It makes me feel all gooey. "Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise!"

A high pitched wail entered her ears. Alex threw her hands up to her ears to protect her precious little eardrums. "Ow!" What the hell? Was he _trying _to make her go deaf? She barely heard the Doctor's voice over the wail – and behind her arms – and couldn't make out the words. She felt movement beside her. Her ears were hurting too much for her to focus on it. She felt a rush of wind past her. For a few seconds she just tried to stop the ringing.

"Allie!" She felt something grasp onto her wrist urgently. "Let's go!"

"Ah!" The Doctor took off and her arm was yanked with him. "Ow! Doctor!"

"I said run, and you didn't move! Allie, you need to be more aware. When I say run, you need to run. Those Daleks could have hurt you!" The only thing that kept her from giving him sass was the fact that he was worried about her. She could feel it. Fine, she'd let him get away with it – well that and because he was cute. _That _was something she refused to deny.

"I couldn't exactly hear you!" While she wouldn't give him _sass_, she wasn't against objecting, totally in her defense. "You almost made me deaf!"

"I wasn't even close." He was rolling his eyes. "I made sure the frequency was painful but nowhere near enough to permanently hurt eardrums."

"How do you know?" She shot back. "Maybe I have more sensitive ear drums than other people do!" It was a completely valid excuse than her being a baby or something.

He gave her a look. "I checked." His tone made it clear he was offended she didn't give him enough credit. "I made sure _you specifically _wouldn't be hurt by the frequency."

That made her pause – well, mentally. She couldn't pause in her running with the Doctor still going. "Really?" She was surprised. "That's so sweet, Doctor!"

He looked away from her, refusing to answer and that just somehow made it even more adorable than it already was. They rushed past all the prisoners and Alex was confused as to why they had stopped. She saw Martha at the front and realized that she was feeling confused. Alex felt sympathy – she knew _she _couldn't remember the way back. The Doctor didn't even pause in his movement. "Come on! Move, move, move, move, move!"

The Doctor spun too quickly around the corner and Alex ended up slipping. Thankfully, this time when her legs slid out in front of her she would have landed on her ass. She remembered one of her gym teachers in middle school saying that the arse was the body's natural padding. If she had to ever land on something, she usually wanted it to be on her arse. Thankfully, she didn't have to. The Doctor felt her go down and used his grip on her to yank her back up. Her arm hurt afterwards, sure, but at least her ass wasn't wet from the disgusting water that she didn't want to think where it's been.

"Tallulah!" She was _amazed _she was saying the proper name before she even realized it. However, now was not the time to properly praise herself. "Run! We gotta go! Martha, grab her!" She refused to be the only person who was being guided. She wanted at least _one _other person to be in the same boat.

"What's happened to Lazlo?" Who was Lazlo? Alex felt this weird sense of déjà vu. She shook her head and ignored it as they took off. She had _no _idea where she was going, and hoped that the Doctor did. She realized a second later how stupid it was to hope that. _Of course_ he would know where he was going! She wouldn't be surprised if he had a mental map in that vast brain of his or something.

She still had to ask. "We're going the right way, yeah?"

"Of course, Allie." His tone made it sound as if there was no other answer. "We're not going to have a repeat with Shakespeare."

"What does he have to do with you and directions?" She didn't remember that ever having a connection.

The Doctor looked at her for a second. "It's a miracle you can remember you own name, Allie."

"Oh!" Alex started laughing. "You know, funny story…!"

The Doctor closed his eyes. "I regret mentioning that…"

-x-

They had made it back to Hooverville. Alex was out of breathe and thinking that she clearly needed to get in more shape. Stupid, long-legged Time Lord wasn't even the slightest bit winded. A small part of her _really _hated him for that. Oh come on, stupid Time Lord that's already use to this kind of thing. Stupid stupid stupid. Naturally, the first thing they did before anything else was relay all of this information to Solomon. Alex suggested that there had to be a way to get everyone out the city. She didn't know how, but there _had _to be a way. The Doctor agreed. "These Daleks," Solomon had taken a moment to process all of this information. "they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?"

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies." The Doctor, ever the one with an answer, replied. Yeah, you go Doctor. Answer every question – just make sure it's in a format we can understand. If you start going off on scientific tangents you're going to lose us. "If I'm right," and you _always _are, Alex thought. "they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out."

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall." Solomon objected. "There's nowhere else to go."

"Hooverville is just the houses and shacks you've made, Solomon." Alex leaned forward, trying to show her message. "I know it's going to be hard. I know it. But please, I am _begging _you. You need to go! Hooverville is more than just what you've made for yourselves around you. It's the community – it's the people all gathered together. _That _is what Hooverville really is. Please, Solomon, they'll listen to you. Of course they will. You have to get them to leave. Go _anywhere_ else, you just can't stay _here_."

Solomon was still clearly unsure of the idea of moving. "There's got to be a way to reason with these things."

Martha spoke up, "There's not a chance."

"You ain't seen 'em, boss." Frank was in agreement.

Alex was on their side. The Daleks couldn't be persuaded to do anything else. They would kill and kill and kill some more and have no qualms about it. Guilt and shame were _emotional _responses. Daleks didn't have those. They only were logical creatures. They would kill a man on sight even if he tried to 'reason' with them with his dying breathe. They still wouldn't listen. "Dalek's are bad enough at any time, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever."

Something dropped in her stomach and she felt chills run down her spine. "Um…" She raised her hand. The Doctor turned to her. She looked at him guilt. "I'm… I'm getting a really bad feeling, Doctor." His face blanked out in a grim expression.

Just as she spoke, a sharp whistle was heard throughout the park. Everyone turned towards the noise. A sentry came rushing into Hooverville, looking pale and stricken. "They're coming! They're coming!"

"A sentry." Solomon announced. "Must have seen something."

"They're here! I've seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!" The Sentry was making much sense and Alex blinked a few times. Monsters? She didn't remember seeing monsters in the lab…

"It's started." The Doctor's voice was grim.

Alex felt horrible. "I'm sorry," She turned to him. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get a bad feeling! I just did!"

He looked confused, and then he shook his head. "No, no, Allie it's not your fault." The flurry of emotions completely surrounded her. She didn't even think about it, she just threw her arms around the Doctor's middle and pressed against him. She gasped, struggling to breathe underneath the weight of the fear and confusion. "Allie?" He was confused as to why she had become so clingy.

"Fear." Her tongue felt weird and heavy. It was hard to make sentences. "Fear. Confusion. Doctor, I can't focus."

She felt his arms go around her, and they squeezed. "Allie, focus on me, then. Don't focus on everyone else. Focus on me." She felt her shoulders slowly relax. It was like the Doctor had created a bubble around her. A bubble where while she still could feel the emotions, they weren't nearly as troubling.

"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Solomon yelled out to everyone in Hooverville. His voice carried to all of the people around. She squeezed her eyes tight, fighting off the wave of tears. She gripped the back of the Doctor's jacket, her grip becoming so hard her knuckles were turning white. Frank said something, but her ears were starting to ring.

"Doctor," Her voice was weak and hoarse. "I can't." She couldn't focus on him. There were too many emotions. She couldn't do it.

"Yes you can, Allie." His voice was right next to her ear. "You can. Focus on me. I'm right here. Focus on _my _emotions." She took a deep breath and delved into his emotional state. They were calmer, she distance realized. They weren't as frayed and all over the place as the other people. Maybe that was because of his age? Whatever it was, she enjoyed it. She sort of felt herself melt into the Doctor's embrace, feeling his emotions. "There we go, Allie." His voice was no more than a murmur. "Just breathe. Feel me."

He was hot. She always noticed this. It was hard to miss, to be fair. He was ridiculously hot. She was talking like felt like lava was being poured through his veins. It was amazing with that coat on he didn't get hot underneath it. Then there was that cinnamon scent he always seemed to have. She wasn't sure if it was his cologne or something. She liked it though, always liked the smell of cinnamon. Well, she really liked the smell of anything food-related.

"We need to get out of the park." It was difficult to hear her friend over everything else that is happening. She did it though, through focusing on the Doctor she was able to keep her ears open. She refused to open her eyes though. She kept her eyes closed and her face buried in the Doctor's chest.

She felt the Time Lord move around, keeping his arms tightly around her smaller body. He was looking back and forth – looking for a way out, she knew. "We can't! They're on all sides." Alex felt her stomach drop down into the ground. She felt it continue to drop the more she felt the desperation and the fear around her. She tugged on the Doctor's jacket. He squeezed her shoulders, and it gave her a moment of relief. "They're driving people back towards us." They wanted the humans together, Alex thought with despair. Probably will make it easier when they…

Alex gasped, she couldn't bear it to even _think _of the end of that sentence. "We're trapped." Tallulah said with as much despair as Alex felt.

Solomon was calm and focused. Alex keyed in on his emotions and felt herself relax just the slightest bit. He was completely in control of himself and Alex was slightly envious of him. However, she focused on that emotion and could feel herself responding to it. "Then we stand together. Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together." Jethro and Harry. Jethro like Jethro Gibbs and Harry like Harry Potter is where Alex's mind went. Some of her favorite characters. She _loves _NCIS more than anything. She loved the characters. Not to mention, don't get her _started _on Harry Potter.

Everyone was forced within a tight circle around the fire. Alex felt people press into her back and she squeezed her eyes shut. With her eyes close, she could hear the soft squealing of the pig men and she knew that they were close to the group. "They can't take us all." Solomon started to fire and it made Alex's ears ring. She winced each time the gun went off and each time she felt the Doctor's arms tighten just a little bit more.

"If we can just hold them off 'till daylight." Martha was just so optimistic. It made her feel just a little bit better.

That was until the Doctor spoke. "Oh, Martha, they're just the foot soldiers."

Doctor! Alex was a bit mad at him for saying that. Why did he have to go and pop her bubble? Seriously, the _manners _this guy doesn't have… "Why do you say that?" Her tone was a bit pouty, but she had ever right she believed. _He burst my bubble, stupid Time Lord_. He didn't answer and she followed his eyes to whatever it was that he was looking at.

Heart plummeted at the sight of a Dalek, coming right towards them.

"Oh my God." Martha muttered to herself.

"Oh…" Alex lost strength in her voice. "That's not good."

"What in this world –" Solomon couldn't even finish his sentence. Alex didn't even realize she was fighting the Doctor's hold until he bent down to catch her eye. His eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were tearing up. There was so much fear, so much confusion, that she didn't know what to do. She wasn't so much fighting the Doctor's grip, as she was trying to fight the emotions sliding across her skin. They were itching, but they were dragging across her nerves. They were burying them in a thick layer of sensations that were making her feel heavy.

"It's the devil." Another man called out. "A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." Alex buried her face back into the Doctor's chest, and he held her even tighter this time. He murmured into her ear that it was going to be okay. He was going to get her out of this. She believed him. How could she not?

"Oh yeah?" Frank felt like that was a challenge. "We'll see about that!" He fired off a shot, but there was no damage to the Dalek. Alex whimpered and tightened her grip on the Doctor's jacket.

He used one hand to reach over and push the rifle down. "That's not going to work." Nothing that a human has made – even in her time – would work against a Dalek. They were far to advanced. Another Dalek appeared and before anyone could really realize it, they started to attack. They fired their lasers this way and that – creating fires and just causing havoc.

Alex covered her ears and was completely blown away by the emotions. "Stop!" She begged to no one. "Make it stop! Please! I can't handle this!" The Doctor was barely an anchor for her with the overwhelming sensations. She couldn't breathe, and it was a miracle she hadn't collapsed yet. "_Stop_!"

"Leave them alone!" Even through all the static and noise in her head and the feeling coursing through her. She always – _always _– would know the Doctor's voice. "They've done nothing to you!" They continued on with the damage, completely disregarding the Doctor's words. She felt a movement come from her right, and looked over to see Solomon had stepped down to walk forward. Alex was confused, what was he doing? The Doctor seemed to know, and disagreed with it. "No, Solomon, stay back." Alex looked back to him, what was he planning?

"I'm told that I'm adressin' the Daleks, is that right?" Solomon paused, and it seemed like he had the Dalek's attention. "From what I hear, you're outcasts too."

It made sense what he was doing. Alex gasped in despair. She reached out to him, but couldn't touch him with the Doctor's grip on her. "No. Solomon." Her voice was weak and brimming with emotions but she refused to stay quiet. "No. Solomon, please. Don't." Trying to appeal to the Daleks would _never _work. He was thinking to try and appeal to the _humanity _in a Dalek. But a Dalek wasn't human, it was an alien. An alien that had no emotions to speak of, trying to appeal to it would be impossible. There was nothing to appeal to. "Please. Don't. Come back here. Please."

Solomon turned to her. He was firm but gentle with her. "Miss Alex, this is my township. I would like it if you respected my authority." Alex shook her head, trying to show him that it wouldn't work. He couldn't speak to them – they could just _kill _him! She begged him with her eyes, but he turned back around and Alex felt her whole body sink. The Doctor gripped her tightly. She heard the Doctor say her name, but she couldn't focus on it. She watched Solomon.

"Daleks… Ain't we all the same?" No, Solomon they were _nothing _like you. "Underneath, ain't we all kin?" _I'm sorry, Solomon but no. They are the furthest thing from kin_. He set his rifle on the ground, and Alex felt her gun churning within her. She hated this. This was such a bad idea. Her gut feeling was screaming at her, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. "'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope… hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I… I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well… what do you say?"

Alex bit her lip so hard that it broke through the tender skin. She was screaming in her head the words that were lodged in her throat. _They don't have compassion! They're Daleks_! It was then that the Dalek said one word. One word that proved everything she had been saying.

"Exterminate!"

Without any hesitation. Without any guilt. Without any remorse. Without any _emotion _they killed Solomon right on the spot. Alex screamed, the only sound to be able to burst through her throat. She broke through the Doctor's arms and rushed over to the man. "No! Solomon!" She crashed onto the ground and pressed on his shoulders. He was completely limp. "No, please, Solomon! I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Please. Please. Please don't be dead. I'm sorry, I should have tried harder. I'm sorry…" She completely melted down until all she could do was apologizing to him. She felt hands on her shoulders and turned to see with blurry eyes that Frank had rushed over. She kept apologizing to him as well. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Daleks!"

Everyone looked up and over to see the Doctor step forward and in clear line of the Daleks. "Doctor…?" She muttered, distracted from the sight of Solomon. What was he doing?

"Alright, so it's my turn!" Wait… _what_?! Alex scrambled to get up. "Then kill me!" No! "Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

"No!" Alex rushed over and slid so she was in between the Daleks and the Doctor. She kept her eyes on the Time Lord. "No! You _can't_!" There was so much he had to do. So much that he had to see. Not to mention, she already saw one person die before her eyes. There was no way in hell she would let the Doctor die too. _Especially _not the Doctor. "I won't let you!"

"Allie," His tone was hard but she _refused _to back down. "Move."

"No!" She didn't even think about it. "I'm not going to let you die! You want die…" She threw out the first thing that came to her mind. "Then…" She whirled around, now facing the Daleks. "Oi! You want kill this guy," she jerked her head back to the Doctor. "Then you're going to have to kill me as well!" She knew that with two Daleks, they saw no problem in that.

"No!" The Doctor gripped her shoulders, and tried to pull her away. "Don't touch her!" He yelled over to the Daleks. He tried to turn her around, but she fought with him. "What are you _doing_, Allie?"

"Oh, such a hypocrite!" She snapped. "What so you're allowed to be a self-destructive idiot, and yet I try the _exact same thing you're doing_ suddenly it's wrong?" She glared at him. "And don't you dare give me that shit about how you've got nothing left to live for or something!" She whirled around, and at least he had the decency to take a small step back. "Because that is bullshit! You've got _me_! You will always have me! I told you before if I have to duct tape myself to your hip I _will_! You are not alone! So you will not die alone! You want to die so badly, Doctor? Then so help me you idiot I'm going to die with you!"

The Doctor just stared at her. If it wasn't such a despairing situation, she would have applauded herself. She made the Doctor – the man who never shuts up – _speechless_. Dude, she should get a metal or something. However, he was giving her a look. A look like this was the first time he was ever seeing her. She could feel that he was mystified and awed by her response. She felt a bit silly, she didn't even know _why _he was feeling that. Ignoring that for now, she turned back to the Daleks. "Come on, Daleks! This is your greatest enemy we're talking about! All you got to do is kill a small human girl as well! How could that be difficult for you?"

"Allie…" She wasn't sure if he was trying to warn her again or not.

"Extermin–" Alex couldn't help but feel her shoulders tense up just the slightest bit. She felt the Doctor move at the last second. He came up right behind her. His lava hot temperature surrounded her and she realized on a night like this, she actually really enjoyed it. He gripped her shoulders tightly. However, the Dalek paused. Alex looked at it confused. "I do not understand." Say what now? Alex had to peek a look at the Time Lord. It _couldn't _be talking to them, right? The Doctor shook his head, confirming her beliefs. It wasn't talking to them. "It is the Doctor." There was another small pause. Alex realized that they were only getting half of a conversation. "The urge to kill is too strong." She could feel her heart beat went up. "I…" Alex's eyebrows slowly raised up. "Obey."

"What's going on?" The Doctor was just as confused as Alex and that always made her feel better. Alex looked up at him and he shook his head, showing he didn't have a clue what was going on. She turned back to the two Daleks.

"You will follow." The eyestalk moved towards her and she couldn't help but flinch back a little bit. The Doctor squeezed her shoulders. "Both will follow." Wait what? She was going too? She looked back to the Doctor, and she could feel what he was thinking. They had to go, to see what was going on. They had to go to see if they could do anything.

"No!" Alex leaned around the Doctor and saw Martha rush towards them. "You can't go!"

The Doctor was the one to respond. Alex was just following whatever he told her to. Unless it was something stupid, like 'don't get yourself killed even though I'm doing just that'. Please. That instance, she was making a _good _point. She hoped the Doctor got it. "We've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks _never _change their minds."

Alex caught sight of something behind the Doctor. She tugged gently on his jacket. "The people though, Doctor. We've got to do something for them." He looked at her for a second before turning to look at the rest of Hooverville. "Isn't there anything we can do for them before we go?"

He nodded his head to her. "One condition!" He raised his voice to make it clear he was being serious with the Daleks. "If we come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

The Dalek didn't answer right away. "The humans will be spared." Alex relaxed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep them safe for now. "Doctor, companion… follow."

"Ooh…" She was trying to lighten up the mood. "I'm a companion now, even to the Daleks. Do you hear that, _Doctor_?" She smiled up at him, teasing him.

He gave her a smile, and it made her happy he was playing along. It was getting to tense. It made her shoulders ache. "Yes, yes, I heard them, _Allie_. I'll make note of it."

"Oh you better…" She mumbled. "It's all but official, Doctor. You and I both know it. I'm a _companion_ now." She couldn't help but grin brightly at that.

"Then I'm coming with you." Martha jumped in and both of the brunets looked at her.

The Doctor had other ideas. "Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let us go." He tugged very gently on Alex's shoulder as she started moving, following the Daleks.

"Do we have a plan?"

He looked down at her. For a moment, they considered each other. "No." She looked at him with disbelief. "Just…" He pulled something out of his pocket and turned back to Martha. Alex paused. "Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much." Alex leaned over to see that the Doctor had gripped Martha's hand with both of his. She saw a moment pass between them before he turned and started to come back towards her. She just looked at him, bunching up her shoulders, silently asking what was up. "It's part of the plan." He murmured, winking at her.

"I thought you just winged it…" She threw out offhandedly.

"Well, I do." She looked at him again, in incredulity. "I have a plan today, though…" Well at least that made her feel better.

"So, where _are _we going?" He looked at her weirdly. "What…?" She then realized what he was saying through that look. "Oh no, have you figured out where we were that first time?"

"It was obvious." He sounded as if it truly was and she had to hit his arm. "Ow, what?"

"Oh, _it was obvious_, my ass." She mocked his tone. "Only to a certain genius _Time Lord_…"

He seemed to just realize that he was _way _smarter than she was. "Oh… right." She wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult that he forgot she was human. "Well, it's like this…"

"Don't leave out _any _details…" She suddenly interrupted.

He paused for a second to look at her. "I promise I won't." She then nodded her head, hugging his arm tightly – she didn't like the Daleks were so near – as he went on to explain his findings.

-x-

After an arduous journey back through the sewers and to the lab, Alex was _tired_. She was like bone dead tired. However, the Doctor just got started. The moment he entered the lab, he _grilled _Dalek Sec. "Those people were defenseless!" Alex had to walk away from him, she was too tired to deal with his anger. After dealing with those heavy duty emotions back at Hooverville she was emotionally drained. "You only wanted me, but no, that what's enough for you! You had to start killing 'cause that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!"

"The deaths… were wrong." Even as weary as Alex was, her head perked up nonetheless. Dalek say what?

The Doctor was clearly under the same thought. "I'm sorry?" Alex knew he was thinking that he had heard the Dalek wrong. A _Dalek _saying that _death _was wrong. What is the world coming to? Alex thought. She grew distracted when a Dalek passed her by. She bounced a little away from it, before decided that now was a good time to go back to the Doctor's side. She tugged on the back of his jacket. She didn't like being there with all those Daleks. The Doctor reached behind him and grasped her hand.

"That man, their leader Solomon," Alex felt her heart sag just at the mention of him. Poor, poor Solomon. She really should have tried harder to keep him safe. "He showed courage."

Alex would have figured that Daleks hated courage. "And… what, that's a good thing?" He certainly was feeling that way judging from what Alex was picking up.

"That's excellent." The Doctor and Alex shared a look. She could feel that the Doctor was at a loss. These were his mortal enemies, who have taken _so much _from him. Alex gave him a look she knew he'd get. He was the Doctor, he always gave second chances. Maybe, it was time to give the Daleks one. If they could help Dalek Sec, maybe just _maybe_, the Daleks could change for a better.

The Doctor turned back to the alien at hand. Alex knew that he had to really think about that before he made a decision. "Is it me or are you just becoming a little bit more human?"

"You are the last of your kind and now I am the first of mine." She felt that he was still in such aw over it. She couldn't blame him. A Dalek that could now feel emotions. It was unheard of until today.

"What do you need us for?" Alex felt his emotions. He probably had a million different things that he could understand Sec wanting _him _for. However, the Doctor couldn't figure out why he wanted Alex here. He squeezed her hand, and she knew that he was just being protective. He didn't like her being surrounded by Daleks just as much as her. She squeezed back, though. If he was to go off into a dangerous situation she wouldn't hesitate to follow him.

"We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos but their flesh was too weak." Dalek embryos? She tugged on the Doctor's coat. What were those?

He held up a hand to her for a second. "Yeah, we found one of your experiments. Just left to die out there in the dark." That's _horrible_. She really wished they had found one. Maybe the Doctor could have saved it. The Time Lord turned to look at her and gave her a look.

"We already found one, hadn't we?" The Doctor shook his head at her, clearly taking a mocking sort of pity on her. She glared at him. "Oh _shut up_…" She grumbled.

Dalek Sec seemed oblivious to their transactions. "It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet – its people." Alex was getting a weird feeling in her gut. It wasn't necessarily that something bad was going to happen, more that she wasn't going to like what Dalek Sec was going to show her. She was proven right when Sec switched on the lights with a giant lever. Alex had to crane her neck all the way back to see.

There were hundreds and hundreds of human bodies lying suspended on little platforms. Alex had trouble swallowing all of this. These were people. Her people, her people from her home planet. She wasn't sure she wanted to see any more of this. This left her feeling sick. She heard machine working and looked over to see that Dalek Sec had lowered one of the bodies. It was covered, and Alex turned her eyes to the Doctor instead. She didn't want to see what was inside. "We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose. Look… inside."

The Doctor moved into her view and she was thankful – even if he may not have realized it. She felt him move the shroud back and felt her throat close up even then. What about that man's family? What if he had a wife or a girlfriend? What would they be thinking right now that he didn't come back? What if he had _kids_? What then…? "This… is the extent of the Final Experiment."

"Did…" Alex was to swallow a few times to control her voice. "Did you kill him? Is he… dead?" She had no idea what the Daleks could do with a hundreds of dead human bodies, but she wasn't the expert. The Doctor took her hand gently and she looked up at him. Anything to look at other than a human body.

"Near death with his mind wiped ready to be filled with new ideas." Completely changing the human inside. It made Alex's heart _ache_. Why would they do something like this to these poor people?

"Dalek ideas." The Doctor added on grimly.

"The Human-Dalek race." Somehow, that didn't make her feel better. It made her feel worse. These poor people had _lives _and the Daleks just took it away from them. They wiped them clean so that they could control them. It made her feel horrible.

"All these people." The Doctor looked up at the humans above them. Alex leaned over and buried her face into his chest. The Doctor held her tightly to him with one arm. "How many?" _And here I thought I was tired before_… Alex thought.

"We have caverns beyond this storing more than a thousand." Dalek Sec answered.

"Is there any way to restore them?" Alex's head perked up slightly. Yes, yes maybe there was a way to get them back to the humans they once had been. That would be _awesome_! "Make them human again?"

"Everything they were has been lost." And there goes all of her feeling of hope. Her head dropped back down to the Doctor's chest. What a way to get her hopes up only to have them crushed.

"So they're shells." The Doctor was confused. She could tell. "You've got empty human beings ready to be converted. That's going to take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn't even split the atom yet. How're you gonna do it?"

Dalek Sec seemed to have an answer to everything. "Open the conductor plan." They walked over to the far side of the room as a graphic animation of their plan played on the screen.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" The Doctor had already worked out most of it out. Alex was beyond pleased that the Time Lord had reviewed his theories – now facts – with her on their way here. "The Empire State Building. We're right underneath that. I worked that out already," yeah, and she was just going to stand here and pretend that she was on the same thought process the _whole time_. Yeah, totally. "But what, you hijacked the whole building?"

"We needed an energy conductor." Dalek Sec explained.

"What for?" Alex asked, keeping up the façade that she knows what's going on. Yes, she's following everything they're talking about.

"I… am the genetic template. My altered DNA was to be administered to each human body." Alex's face grew more and more flat the more he went into the scientific details. She slowly took a peek towards the Doctor. She wasn't following. The Doctor gave the slightest shake of his head. It was okay, he got this. Well, that did make her feel better. She turned back to Dalek Sec. "A strong enough blast of gamma radiation can splice the Dalek and human genetic codes and wake each body from its sleep."

How is _anyone _supposed to follow this scientific mumbo jumbo? Seriously, it was ridiculous. "Gamma radiation?" You've got to be kidding me, Alex thought. Is he magic or something that he could keep up with that? Alex mentally rolled her eyes. Time Lords, she thought dryly. "What are –?" The graphics answered his question before he could complete it. Alex tried to make sense of it. She saw a powerful explosion of energy come from the sun and towards the Earth. She could only guess that somehow they would use that… _somehow_. "Oh, the sun." The Doctor came to the same conclusion. Except, probably, he had an even better idea than she did. "You're using the sun."

"Soon…" Dalek Sec cleared up any questions – for the Doctor at least. "the greatest solar flare for a thousand years will hit the Earth. Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor and when it strikes –"

_I get the biggest headache in the history for trying to understand this_? Alex thought slightly joking. "The army wakes." _Oh. Well, I suppose that makes sense too…_ "I still don't understand what you need us for." Double in her case, Alex thought. The Doctor was understanding all of this without any effort. She didn't know _what _purpose Sec believed her to have. She couldn't keep up with any of these guys.

"Your genius." Okay, see that's what Alex was thinking about. The Doctor could _clearly _help out the Daleks. Alex couldn't see how she could help. "Consider a pure Dalek; intelligent but emotionless."

"Removing the emotions makes you stronger. That's what your creator thought all those years ago." How sad. Alex realized. To live a life without any emotions. Alex believed in some ways that wasn't living at all. She felt sad that Daleks couldn't experiencing like humans could.

"He was wrong."

Alex's felt the Doctor's complete shock. Both of their eyes snapped up to the head Dalek. There was a very long pause. "… Dalek say _what_?" That was all she could think to say. Part of her berated herself for saying something so _stupid _like that. However, she was in too much surprise to really care.

"It makes us lesser than our enemies." Neither Alex nor the Doctor could truly believe he was actually saying these words. "We must return to the flesh. And also… the heart." Was he… _sick _or something? Was this like… Alex didn't know, some sick joke or something? She honestly couldn't believe that Dalek Sec seemed to genuinely believe what he was saying.

"You wouldn't be the supreme beings anymore." The Doctor pointed out. Alex remembered distinctly that – even with her stupid memory –that was the most important thing in the universe to the Daleks. If they went 'back to the flesh' then that would be taken away from them.

"And that is good." Alex was getting a headache just from hearing him say all of this. The Daleks protested to this ideal – one of them saying that he was incorrect. Another said that Daleks were supreme. "No, not anymore." A Dalek objected and said that it was their purpose. "Then our purpose is wrong!" Dalek Sec spoke emphatically. "Where has our quest for supremacy led us? To this." He gestured to the place around them. "Hiding in the sewers on a primitive world. Just four of us left. If we do not change now then we deserve extinction." Alex felt her heart skip a beat at that speech. He seemed to believe that he was looking at the bigger picture, and Alex could understand where he was coming from. They need to change, in order to keep on continuing. If they didn't, then they would die. He was looking out for his own kind.

Alex had one small issue though. One she felt the need to point out. "But…" Alex raised her hand, and Dalek Sec turned to her. To be honest, she wasn't sure how she felt with a Dalek looking at her right in the eye like this. She felt the Doctor slowly put her hand down. Oh please, this was the _least _she could do to embarrass him. He should know that. "If you put emotions into these new bodies. Then… dude, you're talking about taking _everything _that makes a Dalek a Dalek and changing that up." They would have to come up with a new name for these guys because they _certainly _wouldn't be Daleks anymore by the definition standards.

"If… you can help me." Alex looked over at the Doctor. She tugged gently on his coat and he turned to look at her. She shrugged, but looked at him eagerly. She wanted to help. He looked a bit mystified and she wasn't sure if it was because of her or because of Dalek Sec. She figured it was towards Dalek Sec.

"What do you need us for then?" The Doctor asked. Alex figured he needed to have more of his questions answered before he went on board with any of this.

"Your knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than ours. The new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts." Dalek Sec was so clearly earnest about his ideas. Alex couldn't help but be on his side of things.

"But you're the template." The Doctor still didn't seem to understand why they were here. Alex didn't either. She still wanted to help Dalek Sec in anyway – not for any scientific reason, just because she was empathetic. "I thought they were getting a dose of you."

"I want to change the gene sequence." Alex couldn't believe it.

"You want to make them even _more _human?" At this rate, the guy was going to end up with _only _humans. No Dalek was going to be left in these people if he continued down this road.

"Humans are the great survivors." Alex felt that he was so envious and amazed by this fact. He looked at her as if she was the greatest thing he had ever seen. She felt a little awkward that a _Dalek _was looking at her like that. She knew that the Doctor felt the same way judging from his shifting to the other foot. He took her hand and gently tugged. Okay, she took that back. He _really _didn't like it. "We need that ability."

"Hold on a minute." Oh for God's sake, Doctor. Alex turned to him just a bit exasperated. She got that there was a lot of history between him and the Daleks. However, Dalek Sec desperately wanted to change that – to create a new road for the Daleks. Why wasn't he jumping at that chance? "There's no way this lot are gonna let you do it."

"I am their leader." Dalek Sec made it sound as if that should have been good enough. Alex couldn't help but _hope _with all she had that it would be. She didn't trust the Daleks, she had to be honest. Maybe that was all it took, though. Dalek Sec _was _their leader, and maybe that was enough to get them to obey.

"Oh, and that's enough for you, is it?"

"I'm sorry." Alex whispered to the Doctor. "But I was under the impression we _didn't _want to encourage the dangerous and evil aliens to rise against the only person that we have on our side…"

The Doctor passed her a look. "They killed Solomon."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Yes, _they _killed Solomon. _He _didn't." She was under that firm belief.

"Daleks must follow orders." One of the Daleks spoke up, cutting them off from having an argument. Alex could feel that the Doctor wasn't going to back down from his feelings. Alex knew she wasn't going to either. She was happy that they wouldn't have argued. She didn't even like the idea of arguing with him.

"Dalek Sec commands, we obey." Another added. Wow, Alex looked between the three Daleks. It is _really _hard to tell the difference… How do they tell who's who when they're in a group? Not that she would ever want to know. The idea of having to deal with a gaggle of Dalek was a truly frightening thought. Suddenly, Alex grew distracted. What did you call a group of Daleks? Clearly not a gaggle, that was for a group of geese. Flock was for birds. A school usually referred to fish. As did a swarm and a troop. Although, swarm also could refer to insects…

She felt a nudge against her arm and snapped out of it. She blinked multiply times before looking up at the Doctor. He gave her a look that spoke volumes, _pay attention_. "If you don't help me…" Both of the brunets turned their attention back to Dalek Sec. "nothing will change." Alex turned her head to the Time Lord. She gave him a distinct look that she _knew _he would feel. She was right when he turned towards her. She raised an eyebrow. She believed that they should help him. He was right. If they didn't help him now, at an extraordinary tipping point then nothing would change. The Daleks would continue to plague the universe. They needed to grasp these chance with both hands.

Alex could feel his reluctance even more than she could see it on his face. Stupid, stubborn Time Lord. "There's no room on Earth for another race of people."

"You have your TARDIS." Dalek Sec replied. He really did have an answer for _everything _the Doctor threw at him. Good. That might make the Time Lord more inclined to help if all of his issues were settled. "Take us across the stars. Find us a new home and allow the new Daleks to start again."

She had to comment. She leaned in to whisper to him. "Bet you _never _expected to hear a Dalek say that…" The Doctor gave her a look that said it all. He _really _didn't ever see it coming. He was still hesitant. She could feel it. He still wasn't sure what to do and Alex just stared at him. Oh _come on_. She knew about his issues with the Daleks. She understood them – duh. However, she figured he would have been jumping at this chance to stop the Daleks from being his enemies anymore. This was such a big opportunity that she couldn't let him mess this up. "Doctor…"

She didn't get a chance to finish. Before she could even get another word out, one of the Daleks spoke before she could. "Secure the human!" Say what?

"Huh?" Alex didn't understand quite what was happening before the pig slaves grabbed each of her arms and heaved her away from the Time Lord. "Hey!"

"No!" The Doctor held out an arm to try and get her back, but a few more pig slaves stepped in between.

"What the hell?" Alex snapped. "What's going on? What are you _doing_?" She had every right to know. She was on _their _side! She was _trying _to convince the Doctor that they needed to help the Daleks in any way that they could. What the hell? This was the thanks she got?

"The Doctor will obey or the human dies!"

"_What_?" Alex pretty much screeched. "_That's _what you brought me down here for? As a guarantee to get the Doctor to help you out? Are you _serious_? I'm trying to _help _you guys out! I'm on _your _side! What the hell are you doing?!" She was so mad right now, she felt like she was steaming. This is bullshit! Serious bullshit!

"Don't hurt her!"

Everyone paused and looked over at Dalek Sec. "Excuse me?" So wait, if he was telling them _not _to hurt her, then that meant he had another reason for bringing her down here… Something about this made her more mystified than anything else he said.

"I need her just as much as I need you, Doctor." Alex blinked a few times and then pointed to herself. Her? He needed _her _as much as he needed the _Doctor_? Was he sick or something? The pig slaves didn't seem to know what to do, until Dalek Sec demanded that she be set free. They loosen their grip on her arms. She took her arms back roughly and snapped the collar of her shirt, glaring at each of them.

Seriously, the way they manhandled her! How _rude_! She was _surrounded _by it, it seemed…

The Doctor didn't seem to appreciate any humor right at the moment. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back over to his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders for good measure. She felt his shoulder square and suddenly he was more intimidating that she had ever seen him. Even if it wasn't directed at her, she still felt chills run down her spine. It took a lot to hold back a shiver. "Why?" He demanded. There was so much said in that one word. She heard it. He could understand himself. What he didn't understand was why Dalek Sec wanted her, and he wanted to know _why_. _Why _did he need her as much as himself?

"She has such…" See, there was that weird – slightly creepy – look. That amazement and wonder. "… _emotions_." He sounded so bewildered by such a thing. He was just experiencing emotions, probably to him – a baby, in a way – the way she handled it was like nothing he ever took notice to until now. "She had such… passion for emotions." She realized that he had picked up on her empathy. All of these emotions he was feeling towards her empathy. That ability to feel what others were feeling, and to mimic those emotions to feel them for herself. "I want… I want you to _teach _it to the new Daleks."

There was a pause. The Doctor and Alex just _stared _at him. "Um…" Alex had to make one thing clear. One thing, she knew he wasn't understanding. "I'm… I'm not sure I _can_, Dalek Sec. The thing is – what you're talking about. It's called empathy. It's where a person – myself, in this case – is able to understand and share the feelings of another. The things is… That's no something I was taught. It was just… something I had. You're born with empathy. It's not something you can _teach _necessarily." Her heartstrings got a big tug when he looked at her so dejected. She bit her look. "Okay, um, look…" She _totally _broke and she didn't want to hear the Doctor's mocking for this. "How about I teach them how to handle emotions? I can do that. I can teach them how to be… I don't know, I can somehow help you in teaching them how to handle being more human…" Maybe they could like… She didn't know, somehow Dalek Sec could come up with certain situations and Alex could try and help them learn how to deal with it.

"Allie…"

She turned back to the Doctor. "Please, Doctor." She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "He wants to make things _better_. Not just for the Daleks, but for everyone. Everyone can be happy at the end of this. Come on, no more fighting with the Daleks. They can live out happy lives away from everyone. You can help them achieve that. Wouldn't that be something to brag about?" They looked at each other for a long moment, and Alex did her best to show that she truly believed that this was a once in a life time opportunity. They _had _to take this chance. If this worked out, then it would truly be a miracle.

She felt his break. She felt him give in. Alex grinned brightly at him. "When's the solar flare?" He turned to Dalek Sec.

"Eleven minutes." Alex was tugging on his jacket.

He turned to her. For a moment, she thought that he wasn't happy with this. That this was actually making him miserable. Her smile slowly diminished and she looked at him concerned. It was then that he grinned and she returned it in an instant. "Right then. Better get to work."

-x-

She has absolutely no idea what's going on.

Truly, that was the God's honest truth. She heard the Doctor say something about 'genome' and 'chromosomal' and 'cortex' but it really was just nonsense to her. "How does any of this make sense to you…?" She asked him as he whizzed past her.

"I'm a Time Lord, Allie." He turned to grin at her. "I'm a genius." Alex felt the need to roll her eyes. Well yeah, she got that. Just to someone ordinary like her, all of this was making her head spin. She wanted to help, she really did, but she decided at the last minute that the best way she could help would be to stand over at the sidelines.

They continued on, and Alex sort of just tuned them out. She really wished she had her phone with her, then she could at least listen to some music or something. She blinked and saw Lazlo come in with all the other pig slaves. For a moment, she lifted her head, but at the last second Lazlo caught her eye and mouthed _shhhh _to her. She blinked a few times but slowly nodded her head. She heard Dalek Sec say something about needing more… chromatin solution?

Alex didn't give a rat's ass to what it was. "I think the pig slaves have it!" The Doctor looked over at her, and she was _so impressed _that he had picked up on her tone. "The pig slaves have it, Doctor." She repeated and looked over to them acting completely normal. She looked directly at Lazlo before looking back at the Doctor almost immediately. She just looked at him for a long moment.

He followed her eye line finally, and she saw the moment he caught sight of Lazlo. He looked back at her for a second, and she mouthed to him. _Act natural_. He nodded his head before turning to Dalek Sec. "These pig slaves," The Doctor started off casually. "what happens to them in the grand plan?"

"Nothing." Dalek Sec hadn't caught on to the two of them and Alex was grateful for it. "They're just simple beasts." Well, not _all _of them. Alex thought as she took another peek of Lazlo out of the corner of her eye. She only looked for a second. "Their lifespan is limited. None survive beyond a few weeks." Alex's head peeked up when she heard that. _Just a few weeks_? She looked at the Time Lord. That was horrible! What would happen to Lazlo? She barely heard Dalek Sec command to power something up.

The Doctor waved his hand over to her and she was instantly by his side. He wrapped a hand around her and pressed his palm to her back. They walked over to their friend. "Lazlo, I can't undo what they've done to you, but they won't do it to anyone else." The Doctor promised him that, and Alex could feel that he believed every word.

"Do you trust him?" Lazlo was natural skeptical, and Alex couldn't fault him for it.

"Lazlo you didn't feel his emotions like I do. He does believe that he can save the Daleks and he believes he can do it without harming anymore humans…" Alex shrugged. "I have to believe him. I just… do."

The Doctor added to that, "I know that one man can change the course of history. The right idea in the right place at the right time is all it takes. I've got to believe it's possible."

"Oh, you are such a liar." Alex grumbled. He looked over at her with a raise eyebrow. "I had to practically _beg _you to help out."

"I _wanted _to make sure I got all the details before I agreed to anything." The Doctor threw back. "What's wrong with that?" She rolled her eyes, he can _say _how it went down all he wants. She knows what she was feeling from him. The Doctor glared at her and she stuck out her tongue at him. He rolled his eyes which she responded with smacking him in the chest. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow and she glared at him.

"Can you two stop doing that?" They snapped out of their silent conversation and back over to Lazlo. He was looking at them strangely. "It's kind of creepy how you're doing that."

"Sorry…" Alex wasn't sure what else to say. "I'm…" She gestured back to where she had been moments ago. "I'm going to stay out of your guys way."

As she moved back over to the side the Doctor spoke up. "You don't have to, Allie. You can help out if you want."

"Doctor, I don't know what _any _of you are doing. So, I figure it's like this: the best way I can help is to just stay out of the way and let you be yourself." She could _hear _the gears turning in his head. He then nodded his head, he could understand her logic.

Alex sort of spaced out after that. It was really just the Doctor running around the place yelling out all sorts of scientific mumbo-jumbo. Honestly, it just went into one ear and out the other. She didn't even realize that her head was dropping. It was that weird sort of trance you get if you're that right kind of tired.

Her head would droop low and then she'd pick it back up. Only after a few minutes it would start to drop again. She felt something warm brush against her shoulders and _that _got her awake. She almost jumped out of her skin. She turned around to see it was the Doctor's jacket. She murmured something, and she _thinks _it was his name…

"Go to sleep, Allie." His voice was nothing more than a purr to her and she really enjoyed it in this kind of state. It was sort of like a lullaby for her ears. "Just go to sleep, I'll wake you up when it's okay." She nodded her head slowly, saying something like 'nighty-night'. He responded and she leaned back and laid herself out onto the table she had jumped up on – it was _surprisingly _sturdy. The Doctor situated his jacket so it acted like a blanket and she feel asleep like that. The coat was big enough that she could sort of just curl up in it and bring it to her face – which she did for _all _of her blankets!

She couldn't explain how much she enjoyed falling asleep to the smell of cinnamon that she's just come to associate with as the Doctor. It caused her to have good dreams, to feel safe and secure and warm.

It was probably the best sleep she had gotten in her whole life.

-x-

She felt something jerk her in her sleep and she just groaned. Dude, she was _sleeping _here! How rude! There was a few more tugs, but she didn't want to wake up. She had hit that right range of sleep that made her really sluggish and it was hard to pull herself towards the land of the living. Whoever was pulling on her arm seemed to realize this, and just picked her up. Well, this dude was warm – she could feel that. It was weird, but… she knew this warmth – and this scent. She _definitely _knew this scent.

It was hard to concentrate. The warmth that now surrounded her made her want to fall back asleep. She grumbled something, but it was probably just nonsense. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth.

… Was that a voice calling her name?

It took her a few seconds, but yes it was. It _was _a voice calling her name – rather urgently she realized. Okay, _what _is going on? She forced herself away from the grasps of deep sleep and dragged herself back to life. It took her a while, but she was finally able to force her eyes open. "Waz goin' on?" Her tongue still felt strangely heavy, and it made her words sort of jumble together.

"Allie!"

Wait, she knew that nickname anywhere. There was only one man in the entire universe who was allowed to use that nickname. She heaved her head up and looked into the Doctor's brown eyes. "Doctor…" She blinked a few times. "What's going on?"

"The Daleks have betrayed us…" She looked a little past the Doctor to see Lazlo leaning against the elevator walls. She blinked a few times and then looked around and realized that yes, they _were _in an elevator. "They almost had us."

"You didn't wake up…" She was a bit wounded by his tone and she knew that her facial expression gave that away. His eyebrows furrowed and she knew that was the look he got when he regretted giving her a certain tone. "I was worried." Well, that made it okay then…

"Catch me up with everything that happened." She let herself out of the Doctor's arms. She whirled around and pointed a finger at him. "And don't you dare leave a single detail out." The Doctor retold everything that happened from the second she fell asleep to the moment they got into the elevator. She nodded her head once she was caught up. "We need to stop them from getting energy from the gamma strike." The Doctor raised an eyebrow and she glared at him. "I'm not a _completely _moron!" The Doctor held up his hand, and she heard his silent response – _I never said you were_. She heard heavy breathing and turned to see Lazlo was still out of breathe. "You okay, buddy?" She asked concerned.

"Out of breath. It's nothing." He assured her, but she didn't feel so assured. Something in her gut told her something was seriously wrong with Lazlo. She turned to the Doctor and conveyed the look to him. He nodded his head. "We escaped them, Alex. That's all that matters." Alex would have opened her mouth to object – his health and wellbeing was _more _important than that! – but the Doctor touched her arm gently. When she looked over at him, he shook his head.

Alex huffed, but she didn't get a chance to speak a word when the elevator doors opened. "Martha!" The brunette threw her arms up, so _happy _to see her friend.

"Alex!" The two women went in for a hug and Alex gave Martha her best. She was just so relieved that Martha was okay, and really happy and impressed that she was here. Tallulah and Lazlo had a moment as the two time travelers broke the hug. Martha went over to the Doctor and showed him the plans. Alex followed them and realized that it was blueprints for the building. "We worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast." Alex had to lean down and get the paper right up to her face to see what Martha was talking about. Oh! Alex thought. There it was! "And it's good to see you too, by the way."

Well, when Martha put it like that. Alex stood straight again and pushed the Doctor a bit with her elbow. He looked over to her and she mouthed, _hug her_! She gave him a look that said he didn't have an option to this. The Doctor rolled his eyes but turned back to the other woman. "Oh, come here." Alex was so happy when the Doctor gave her a _good _hug – with a big twirl and everything.

She was a little bit disappointed with how he sort of just _dropped _her when he was done. However, it seemed like he had a fairly good reason when he ran over to the elevator. "Doctor?" She asked confused.

"No, no, no!" He seemed oblivious to her question as he slammed into the door. "See, never waste time with a hug!" Hypocrite, Alex thought with a roll of her eyes. If that had been _Rose_, then he wouldn't be saying such things. She chose not to say anything. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it." Oh that's just _great_, Alex thought with some despair.

"We're it going?" Martha asked.

Alex held up a hand. "Daleks?" She asked instead as she looked at the Doctor. He gave her a grim look. She nodded her head, "Daleks…" She sounded just as grim.

"And they're not going to leave us alone up here." Alex felt a chill run down her spine when he said that. "What's the time?"

Cute, adorable little Frank answered. "11:15."

Alex could hear the Doctor already working on a plan. "Six minutes to go. I've got to move the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."

"Gamma radiation?" She sounded like she had trouble just saying it. "What the heck is that?" Way ahead of your time period, I take it. Alex thought. She knew they wouldn't have near enough time to explain it to Tallulah. The three time travelers ignored her as Martha guided the two brunets outside to the unbuilt part of the structure.

The Doctor had only one thought on his mind. "Oh, that's high." Yeah, yeah it was. Alex thought and she shook just a bit when she leaned a tad bit forward to look down. _Really _stupid mistake on her part, she'll admit that. She leaned away and felt her stomach drop in that really bad way. "That's very – Blimey, that's high."

"Blimey?" Alex grew distracted. "_Blimey_?"

He gave her a look. "I'm English, I'm allowed to say blimey, Allie."

But… "You're not English…" She saw the Doctor pause and then the two of them looked at each other for a moment. She raised both of her eyebrows at him.

Martha saved him from continuing on this conversation. "And we've got to go even higher. That's the mast up there." The three of them took a peek up through a ladder that ran the rest of the length of the building. "There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off."

"That's not 'we'. That's just me." The Doctor corrected.

Alex, quite frankly, was _offended_. "Excuse me?" She snapped and she threw a look at him. "No, no it's not _just you_, it's still _we_! What the _hell _makes you think I'm just going to stand here and _watch _you!"

He whirled around to her and grabbed her shoulders tightly. "No, you're going to have your hands full, anyway." Alex's eyebrows furrowed together. She didn't understand. "I'm sorry, Allie, I _really _am, but you've got to fight."

She just stared at him for a long moment. "Fight… I don't understand."

"Those pig slaves are going to come back up the elevator." He explained to her. "I need you to be down here and deal with them while I deal with the Dalekanium."

Alex opened her mouth a few times, but then closed it again. She sighed deeply. "Be careful." She finally said softly. The Doctor gave her a smile and then gave her a meaningful kiss on the forehead. He put feeling into it and Alex didn't like it. She closed her eyes and for a few seconds she savored it. The Doctor then took off up the stairs and Alex looked at Martha. "Let's prepare." They got whatever tools they could get their hands on that could work as weapons. Alex was a bit disappointed that Frank didn't have his gun with him.

"The lift's coming back up…" Martha said desperately as they all lined up in front of the lift. They were prepared as they could be, but Alex still was getting a really bad feeling. Although, she was sure if it was aimed at them or the Doctor.

"I shoulda brought that gun." Frank grumbled to himself and Alex had to agree with him. He really should have brought that gun… It would have helped. Alex then realized what she was saying and almost smacked herself. How cold could she be? That was… that was almost heartless of her to even think that!

"Tallulah, stay back. You too, Martha. Same goes for you, Alex." What why? Alex looked over at him weirdly. Why should the _girls _stay back while the guys fight? The woman pursued her lips. _If this has to do with something sexist, she's going hit that man_… "If they send pig slaves," which doesn't make any sense. What _else _are they going to send? The Daleks are busy trying to control the energy from the gamma radiation. They don't have the time to deal with the humans. "They're trained to kill."

"Lazlo, you get one thing straight. The Doctor told me to fight, so do you know what I'm going to do?" She locked eyes with him so that he'd get the picture. "_I'm going to fight_. There is _no way _I'm going anywhere! Right Martha?" She turned to the woman.

She was already nodding her head. "The Doctor needs us to fight. We're not going anywhere!"

"They're savages." Lazlo shot back. "I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." What makes him think that she was going to let them near her throat to begin with? _Especially _with those nasty tusks of theirs! She is clean and she prefers to keep any sort of germy tusks away from her neck, thank you very much!

Lazlo went down to the floor and Alex looked back over at him concerned. "Lazlo?" Tallulah was rightful worried as well. "What is it?" She saw that no matter how much he struggled to get up, Lazlo couldn't make himself do it.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just leave me." No matter how much bravado he could muster up, he still couldn't get up from the floor. He ended up leaning against a pillar. Tallulah dropped her own weapon to check on her boyfriend.

She laid a hand on his forehead and she didn't like what she was feeling. "Oh, honey, you're burnin' up." She tried to get her boyfriend to look at her. "What's wrong with you? Tell me."

"One man down and we ain't even started yet." Frank muttered to the two time travelers.

"We need a different plan." Alex announced, looking over at Martha. The two looked at each other and finally Alex shrugged. "Any ideas? 'Cause I'm out of them."

Martha looked at her before looking at the elevator again. "It's not looking good, is it?"

"Nope." Alex popped her 'p'. "It is not." They needed to seriously come up with something soon or they were going to all get killed. Alex heard thunder rolling across the sky and she turned to just peek out into the sky for a reflexive moment. She grew up in Pennsylvania, she was use to these kinds of storms. Summer was a just one thunderstorm after another for her.

Wait a minute…

Alex looked at the elevator door before looking over at the lightning storm. "Wait a minute…"

She looked over at Martha literally at the same time she did. "Lightening!" They said at the same time. Alex was so excited that Martha was on the same page as she was. "Let's go!" The two of them were off towards the end of the room, carelessly dropping their weapons along the way. They would just get in the way.

"Come on, Frank!" She called to him as Martha and she started to move the metal rods around in the appropriate places. "We need you!" Frank dropped his own weapon before helping them out. She was glad that he just went with it right now and didn't bother to stop and ask what they were thinking. They needed to complete this as soon as possible.

She heard Tallulah talk sweetly to her boyfriend and for a brief second Alex found it endearing. It wasn't so endearing when she turned to her and the others and pretty much growled at them. "What the hell are you three clowns doin'?"

"It's so nice to know that you have the same compassion for us as you do your boyfriend, Tallulah." Alex commented dryly. The starlet threw her a look and she sighed before answering her question. "This place is going to get hit. I mean, look at the facts, Tallulah, the Empire State building is _constantly _being hit every single time a thunderstorm rolls through. So, naturally, that means that electricity is going to run through the whole building – ya know, 'cause they have really fixed that yet. That means, that if we connect the outside – which is going to have the electricity running through it – to the lift then bye bye pigmen!" She threw her hands up to show that the electricity was going to one hell of a problem for the pigmen.

"Oh my God, that could work." Well, it was nice to know that she could see that.

Frank spoke up, "Then give us a hand!" He snapped at her. She gave a small 'oh' before picking herself up and helping them make the finishing touches to it. They finally finished their handiwork and everyone took a look at it.

Tallulah spoke up. "Is that gonna work?"

"Oh really, Tallulah? How quickly you lose faith in us." Alex rolled her eyes. Some support _she _was! "Tallulah it _has _to work. It just has to. If it doesn't we are _all _screwed!" She squeaked before doing a cross sign over her body. "Don't let that jinx us…" She muttered under her breath.

"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside." Frank said as he came back inside.

"Okay, places people!" Alex clasped her hands together and they all moved to where Lazlo had situated himself. "Sit tight folks, and _don't _touch anything that is metal."

Boy did it _work_!

The lightening hit the building just like Martha and Alex had predicted. The metal rods worked perfectly in guiding some of the electricity away from the building and towards the lift. Just in time too, considering the pig slaves opened the doors to the elevator just as the lighting hit its target. It was painfully bright and everyone closed their eyes against the light. They waited until they could stop hearing the crackle of the energy before everyone opened their eyes slowly.

All the pig men were dead.

Martha was the first to run over and Alex couldn't pick herself up just yet. She leaned back against the pillar and let out a sigh of relief. "You did it guys." Tallulah was back on their side of believing in them and Alex had to throw her look. _Definitely _not going to keep her on the support team.

"They used to be like Lazlo." Martha said solemnly and Alex looked away, not able to bear the sight. "They were people and we killed 'em." Alex winced and she knew that Martha was including her. Rightfully so, as well, Martha wasn't the only one who had come up with the idea.

"No, the Daleks killed them. Long ago."

That reminded her of a certain enemy of the Daleks that was still up on the rooftop. "Doctor!" Alex didn't bother to wait for anyone. She took off up that ladder and she didn't even care that she was terrified of heights. All that mattered was her friend was up there and she just _knew _that something had happened. Her gut was twisting around almost painfully now.

-x-

"Doctor!" Alex gasped in horror when she saw the Doctor lying on his back. He was unconscious as far as she could tell. She rushed over to him and landed roughly on her knees. She ignored the ache that it caused in her muscles. She leaned down and watched him for a second. "Doctor, please tell me you're just messing with us! Please tell me you're not actually hurt!" She had to make sure, she leaned down and hovered her cheek just above the Doctor's mouth.

She couldn't describe the relief when she felt his breath against her cheek. She leaned back. She started running her fingers through his hair. "It's soft." She said, with a small laugh. "Feels so _nice_…" She could only _wish _she had hair like his. She tangled her fingers in his hair as much as she physically could. "Doctor…" She whispered, "what happened?" She heard a commotion and turned to see that Martha and Frank were climbing up the ladder. She saw Martha's horrified face and eased her worries. "He's fine. Just unconscious."

"Look what we found halfway down." Martha held it out and dropped it in Alex's free hand – she refused to pull her hand away from the Doctor's hair. She quirked a small smile when she saw it was the screwdriver. That would explain the two Dalekanium bars still attached to the mast. She ran her thumb across it before slowly turning back to the Doctor. "He's getting careless." Yeah, yeah he was.

She heard a groan and her eyes immediately snapped to the Time Lord laying in front of her. "Doctor?" She asked almost immediately.

"Oh my head…" She gently massaged his head, hoping to ease some of the pain and he groaned again. "Oh, that feels good." She couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Hi." She greeted when she met those deep brown eyes with her own.

He offered her a slight smile. "Hi. You survived then."

Alex had to laugh. "Was there any doubt?"

"None." He answered, and she felt the honesty in his tone. Alex felt her cheeks warm just a little bit and had to beat back her emotions with a stick. It didn't help that the Doctor kept his eyes on her, and there was something in them that kept her from looking away.

Martha snapped both of them out of it. "I can't help noticing… there's Dalekanium still attached."

The Doctor shot up sitting and took a good look at it before he jumped up and rushed back down the ladder. "Doctor!" Alex called after him. "You were complaining about your head! Don't run!"

-x-

They were back in the first room they all encountered each other. The Doctor was figuring out a new plan. "The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing." Oh, that's just _great_! That meant that every human in the whole world – and every being beyond that – was in danger. "They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan."

"So…" Alex caught the Doctor's eye. "How do we stop them?"

"There's only one chance. I got in the way." _Got in the way_? What is that supposed to mean? "That gamma strike went zapping through me first."

"What?!" Alex snapped. "You got zapped with lightening? Are you _insane_?! What the _hell _is wrong with you?"

"Just – Just – Just…" He held up a hand to her. "You can chew my head out later, Allie. We have other things to focus on first." He can bet his ass that this would _defiantly _be something she is forcing herself to remember. "We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think, think, think, think." She let the gears turn in his head. She knew he'd get to a conclusion eventually – and _much _faster than any of the humans could do. "We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way." She _saw _the light bulb go off. "Tallulah!"

"That's me. Three Ls and an H."

The Doctor ignored that in favor of his idea. "Thee theatre! It's right above them, and what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?"

Alex couldn't see how the theatre would help them, but since she was just a human and he was the Time Lord – she was going to trust his judgment. "Don't see why not." Tallulah responded.

"Is there another lift?" They couldn't use the one behind them for multiple reasons.

"We came up in the service elevator." Martha offered.

"That'll do. Allons-y!" Alex titled her head. What did that mean? The Doctor grabbed her hand, but caught the look on her face. "It's French for 'Let's go'." Alex made an _oh_ and then nodded her head. Okay, that made sense.

-x-

It thankfully didn't take them long to get to the theatre and Tallulah was able to get them in. "Do you think it's going to take long?" The Doctor looked at her curiously. "For the Daleks to realize you're here."

"No." He shook his head. "They'll catch on real quick." Alex nodded her head. She almost ran into the Doctor when he suddenly stopped. He helped her keep steady and then pulled out his screwdriver and turned it on.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark." Tallulah muttered and there were so many grammatical errors wrong in that sentence that she wasn't sure where to begin. It made her cringe so bad. "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, hunh?" Lazlo fell into one of the chairs like a bag of bricks and that took her attention away for a while.

While they were having a moment, Alex stared at the Doctor. "What's turning on your screwdriver going to do?"

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." She continued to stare at him for a minute, blinking a few times. He sighed, "Allie, I'm the only one with a sonic screwdriver. It's how they've come to identify me with."

"Oooohhhh…" Alex nodded her head. "Ya know, it'd be cool if we ran into someone who had a sonic device as well." She saw the Doctor think about that before he made a noise of agreement. The Doctor held the screwdriver higher letting it buzz in the darken theatre. She did have to agree with Tallulah, as she was looking around it really was creepy there.

"Allie, Frank is going to take you back to Hooverville with Martha." She just stared at him for a second. "What?"

"Doctor," she was trying to say this as calmly as possible. "I already gave you going up on the mast by yourself. I _refuse _to leave your side again, do you understand?"

The Doctor didn't seem to appreciate her tone. "I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville."

"And _I'm _saying that there is _no way in hell I'm going to do that_!" She snapped back to him, emphasizing every word to make sure he understood. "I'm _not _going!"

"Allie –!" She cut him off.

"No!" She smacked him in the chest. "I am not leaving! I don't care what you do! You're not getting me to move! I'm staying right here, right next to you!" She continued on just as he was about to speak. "Doctor, I made it clear! If you want to die, then fine by me! We'll die together!"

The Doctor's mouth snapped back shut the moment she said that. He _knew _that she was one hundred percent serious. The doors burst open, ending their conversation on that final note. Tallulah spoke up, "Oh my God! Well I guess that's them then, hunh?"

"Humans… with Dalek DNA." Martha was saddened for them and Alex couldn't agree more with that feeling. These poor, poor people. They were drained of everything that they once were and now… They were nothing more than shells with Dalek ideas in them. How sad…

Frank went to attack but Alex threw her arms around his shoulders to hold him back. The Doctor spoke up. "It's alright. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."

"But what about the Dalek masters?" Lazlo asked. Alex blinked a few times, it was so strange to hear the Daleks be referred to as masters. "Where are they?"

The answer to that question was with an explosion on the stage. Everyone ducked down behind the seat covers to protect themselves. The Doctor took a good hold of Alex and she gripped his jacket. She felt the Time Lord move and he was the first one to look over their cover to get a look. The Doctor stood slowly, letting his arms fall away from her shoulders.

Alex looked up at him for a second before peeking out over the chairs. Her heart feel when she saw Dalek Sec there – chained and on all fours like a dog. "The Dalek will stand before the Daleks." One of them demanded. Well at least there was only two of them. She would have a better time keeping track of who was who. Well, sort of.

The Doctor stood on the back of the chair and walked forward until he reached the front row. "Be careful, Doctor…" She whispered to him. The Doctor moved a hand behind his back and waved it at her.

"You will die, Doctor." The other one said. "It is the beginning of a new age." A horrible age of blood and destruction more like it, Alex thought with some bite.

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro." The first Dalek said. Alex's stomach twisted at that thought. They couldn't do that to Earth, what about all the humans? She already knew that the Daleks didn't care about them.

"Oh, and what a world." The Doctor said. Alex looked at him curiously. She knew that he could use words like nobody's business. No one had power over words like the Doctor did. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec." He reminded them, as he pointed to the poor creature now sitting between the Daleks. The poor thing looked so worn and tired. "Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"

"My Daleks…" What broke Alex's heart the most was that even now, even after _everything _the Daleks have done to him – Sec still _loved _them more than anything else. "Just understand this: If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you." Even now, he was looking after them. Even now he was still warning them.

"Incorrect. We will always survive." The Daleks were just so blind that it made Alex want to weep.

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor." Alex's heart jumped into her throat.

"Doctor…"

He turned his body just a bit and waved at her again, she knew that he was telling her that he was fine but she wasn't sure she could believe it. "But we can help you!" Dalek Sec moved to one of the Daleks, now on his knees. Alex felt a few tears fall from her eyes at the sight of him.

The Daleks ignored Dalek Sec and demanded that the Doctor die. "No, I beg you, don't."

Just as the Dalek aimed at the Doctor and yelled his signature _Exterminate_, Dalek Sec stood up and took the blast instead. Alex threw her hands up over her mouth in horror. "Dalek Sec!" She called out to him, but she knew. She knew he was dead. There was no way anyone could survive a direct blow like that.

The Doctor was disgusted. "Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." He – weirdly enough – turned to the human Daleks. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is?" Alex stared at him through her tears. What was going on in that weird Time Lord brain of his?

"What is he planning…?" She muttered under her breath. She knew he had a plan, she just… had that feeling. He had something in mind, but _what_?

"If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot." Wait… _what_?! "What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them."

"No! Doctor!" Alex protested. The Doctor held his arms out. "_Doctor_!"

"Dalek-Humans, take aim." The hybrids take aim at the Doctor. Alex winced at the collective noise and Alex called out the Doctor's name once more.

"What are you waiting for?" What the _hell _is he doing? Goading them on! Stop it, stupid! "Give the command!" No!

"Exterminate!"

"_No_!" Alex screamed at the top of her lungs. "Stop it!"

There was a long pause and Alex's heart was in her throat.

But… nothing happened. The humans looked curiously at the hybrids. They had the guns ready, but… they weren't firing. "Obey!" That's weird. The Daleks didn't seem to understand what's going on either. "Dalek-Humans will obey."

"Doctor…" Her tone was a bit annoyed. "You know what's going on! I know it! Tell me!" How _dare _he have a plan that she didn't know about! How _rude_!

The Daleks were still trying to take command of the hybrids. "You will obey. Exterminate."

"Why?"

Everyone looked over at the new voice and Alex was gobsmacked that it was one of the _hybrids _that had spoken. Previously, she thought that they didn't speak. Possibly didn't even know how to speak. "Daleks do not question orders." The man wouldn't back down and questioned yet again, _why_? No matter how many times the Daleks demanded them to stop the hybrid would still ask that question.

Finally the hybrid completely threw her. "But you are not our master. And we… we are not Daleks." Alex's eyebrows shot up and she knew her mouth dropped open. _What_?

"No, you're not." The Doctor said gently. _What _was going on? "And you never will be." He turned to the Daleks and Alex hoped to _God _that this would be the time where he explained what was going on. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."

"That is so genius…" Alex muttered to herself, and the Doctor turned to grin at her. "_If _it wasn't so _stupid dangerous you moron_!" She snapped at him and the Doctor's smile disappeared. "You really do have a death wish!"

"If they will not obey, then they must die."

Wait… what?

The Dalek shot the very man that had asked the question. "Get down!" No complaints from this woman. She was instantly down behind the chairs as the two factions fired on each other. Alex just squeezed her eyes shut, covered her ears and begged that all of this would be over very soon. After about ten minutes or so she felt a tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Martha nodding her head.

It was over.

Alex slowly picked herself up and peeked over the chairs. Both of the Daleks had been destroyed. Once she saw this with her own eyes, she picked herself up and sighed with relief. "Thank God…"

The Doctor went over to one of the hybrids. "It's alright." His voice was soothing. "It's alright. It's alright. You did it. You're free." Alex smiled in delight. Good for them –

Not so good when they started to scream as they clutched their heads in pain. "What the –?" She cut herself off as she took off past Tallulah and Lazlo and over to one of the hybrids as they slowly dropped to the ground. "Doctor! Do something!" They were hurting! Before she could get to any of them they crumbled to the ground one by one. "What…" Alex dropped to the ground and pressed a hand to one of the hybrids. "What just happened?"

"They killed 'em." Alex's eyes snapped over to where the Doctor was crouched. _What_? They… They couldn't do something like _that_! "Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide." Alex's heart plumpted along with her stomach. She just stared at the Doctor for a long moment. She could feel his emotions swirling around and it was making her sick and want to cry all at the same time.

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek master must still be alive."

The Doctor stood up slowly and Alex's heart was pounding within her stomach. "Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one."

"Doctor…" Her voice was catious. She slowly stood up herself. "Whatever it is that you're thinking. I don't like it. Don't, okay? Just… just don't. Whatever it is, _don't_." He didn't hear her as he took off. "No! Doctor!" Alex bit her lip, truly worried about what he would do when it came down to one Dalek.

-x-

Alex used the lift to get back to the room where this had all started. She kept calling the Doctor's name, worry deep within her stomach. "Doctor!" She finally came around the corner and was glad to see him. "Doctor!"

He finally turned back towards her and she froze middle step. Her eyes widened as a tsunami of anger slammed into her. She lost her breath and she had to take a couple of steps back in order to keep herself from falling. "… Whoa." She finally muttered under her breath. "Just. Whoa." She blinked a few times trying to see through her drowning.

"Allie…?" His voice was her anchor and she looked over to him. The anger slowly receded and he was left feeling so very tired. "What is it?"

She had to remember why she followed him in the first place. "Um…"

Martha answered for her as she came around the corner. Tallulah and she were helping Lazlo. "He's sick." The poor thing was wheezing badly. They ended up lying him on the ground, where Tallulah cradled his head. Martha offered him some comforting words.

She felt something brush against her back and turned to see the Doctor standing there. They both kneel together, and the Doctor was looking at him sadly. Alex had to grab onto the Doctor's hand and hold tightly. No. She told herself. Lazlo was going to be fine. The Doctor would fix him, he _had _to! "It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it." Martha relayed to the Doctor.

"What is it, Doctor?" Tallulah asked urgently to the Time Lord. "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?"

Lazlo seemed to know the answer, and Alex refused to believe him. "It's time, sweetheart." Alex took in a shuddering breath. No, _no_, he wasn't _dying_! He was going to fine!

"What do you mean 'time'?" Tallulah looked about ready to cry and Alex felt her own tears fall down her cheeks. "What are you talking about?"

"None of the slaves…" It sounded like it was talking all the strength in the world for Lazlo to speak. "survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now… I'm dyin', Tallulah."

"No you're not." Tallulah couldn't bear to loose him and Alex slowly turned her head away and pressed it against the Doctor's neck. He lifted up a hand to rub against her back. "Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?"

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H…" Alex lifted up her head and stared at the side of his face. He was going to say yes, he _had _to say yes. He couldn't say anything else. "Just you watch me." Alex broke out in a smile and she laughed with glee. _Yes_! The Doctor stood up and took off his coat, throwing it carelessly out of his way. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know." She was feeding off his energy and it was making her feel better and better every second. "How about a great big genetic laboratory?"

"I do believe we're standing in one, Doctor." Alex laughed.

The Doctor grinned at her. "I do believe so. Lazlo, just you hold on." He was immediately on the run, mixing up a solution talking a hundred miles per minute the whole way. "There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way." The Doctor finally took out a stethoscope out of his pocket.

What the hell? Alex was mystified. How the hell did he fit that into his pocket? It was _huge_! And his pockets were so small! "How did…?"

"Not now, Allie." The Doctor immediately answered. He turned back to Tallulah. "Because the Doctor is in."

-x-

The Doctor had done it. He had fixed Lazlo up nicely. Tallulah and him couldn't be more happy. They certainly couldn't be cuter together. Since Lazlo didn't have a place to go back to, Frank had offered to see if he could get him a place within Hooverville.

The Doctor and Alex were just talking as they were waiting. Well, more like the Doctor was trying to explain _how _it was exactly that he could fit a stethoscope into his pocket. "But… I'm still not getting it, _how_?"

The Doctor was so clearly done trying to explain it to her. He was horrible explainer, Alex insisted. He just couldn't explain _anything _in a way that made sense to an ordinary person like her. "Just… Just trust me, Allie. I can fit it in my pocket."

"Fine." Alex gave in. "But only because my head is hurting…" The Doctor grinned at her and she glared at him. Stupid smartass Time Lord enjoying her misery.

Frank joined with them again. "Well I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em."

"What did they say?" The Doctor asked as everyone waited with baited breath.

"They said yes." Everyone cheered as Tallulah hugged her boyfriend.

"They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else to go." Alex was going to let the grammatical errors go because Frank was cute.

"Thank you." Alex knew he meant every word. "I – I can't thank you enough."

-x-

The three time travelers finally made it back to Liberty Island and Martha finally spoke up. "Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?"

"Dude," Alex gave her a look. "It's New York. Of course it is! New York is _famous _for weird and wild and crazy things! Honestly, I don't know what Frank was going on about. If he walks down a street, people in New York are just gonna be like 'oh, a pigman' and then be on their way. Like, seriously, they're really – honest to God – _not going to care_." Alex nodded her head emphatically.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too." Alex laughed when the Doctor said that. They high fived each other.

"The pig and the showgirl." Martha joined in their laughter.

The Doctor smiled. "The pig and the show girl."

"Just proves it, I suppose." They all took one final look at that Manhattan skyline. "There's someone for everyone."

"Maybe."

"Oh stop it, you." Alex turned to look at him. "There's someone out there for everyone, I am in _firm _belief of that! That even includes you, dummy!" The Doctor turned to look at her and dammit it _why _is he looking at her like that again? Dude, she was so _sick of it_! She purused her lips. "What?"

"You really believe that?"

Alex shrugged. "Yeah. I'm closet romantic, what can I say?" Well, at least that brought the smile back on his lips.

They started to walk back to the TARDIS, and Martha sighed. "Meant to say… sorry."

Both of the brunets looked over at her. "What for?" The Doctor asked confused.

"Just 'cause that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you. Think you'll ever see it again?" Alex could feel the Doctor's emotions and had to take a step or two back in order to keep away from his emotions. Damn, he had such vast emotions that when they really took a hold of him they made her head spin.

"Oh yes." The Doctor said as he unlocked the TARDIS and let Martha through. He looked over at Alex, but she felt like he was looking through her. "One day."

"That reminds me," She gave as hard of a smack to the Doctor's arm as possible. The alien yowled as he jumped back. When he had the audacity to ask her what that was about she just glared. "It's later. That means that I am _chewing your head off about that stupidly dangerous stunt back in at the Empire State building_!" Her voice climbed up until she was yelling at him. "You moron!"

He was instantly running into the TARDIS and she was right on his heels. "Oh don't think you can get away from me! Not until I've had my fair share of scolding you!" There was no way he was going to get away with this!


End file.
